


Immortals

by Pumpkinnubbin



Series: We Could Be Immortals [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, The Old Guard AU, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:09:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25380655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pumpkinnubbin/pseuds/Pumpkinnubbin
Summary: Maria is the only one left when she starts dreaming of a woman with red hair, somewhere in Russia.The Old Guard AU
Relationships: Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov
Series: We Could Be Immortals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838008
Comments: 190
Kudos: 285





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help myself after watching the movie. Since it wasn't 100% clear when they start dreaming, I went with making them dream when they sleep. This is also going to be its own series which is why it's not with my AU-Central series. 
> 
> Title and series title from the song Immortals by Fall Out Boy.

Maria is tired. It’s been nonstop for weeks now. She’s always working, always moving. One day she’s in Nairobi, the next day she’s in Italy, then the States. There is no rest for her. There never is. At this point, she can’t even remember the last time she’s actually had anything resembling rest. She sighs at the state of her shirt, bloodied and riddled with holes, and takes it off to throw it away. She’s used to that too. Maria no longer checks the places she’s been shot at. They’re all healed, gone without a trace. That’s just the way it is. Her clothes are all that’s left to tell anything has happened at all. She grabs a shower and then checks her phone for any messages. Nothing. Maria decides to look for things to do herself. 

Every so often someone approaches her with a job. She’s a mercenary of sorts, possibly the pickiest one there is. She works alone and no amount of money will get her to do something she finds morally wrong. She wouldn’t even take the money at all if she didn’t need to eat and fund herself. It didn’t used to be like this; not quite anyway. Back in the day she’d take a little bit of coin sometimes but usually she was just happy to have somewhere to sleep and have something to eat. Now everything needs money and people are no longer grateful enough to offer anything for free. Though, that isn’t quite right. Just last month she’s saved a little girl whose mother was more than happy to cook for her and let her stay the night. It’s enough. 

A glance towards the bag on the ground next to the couch makes her heave another sigh. She really needs to clean that sword. She loves it; has carried it with her and used it for as long as she remembers. She’s used it to cut down soldiers in wars that history barely even remembers. But Maria does. She remembers the people she’s lost to time and cruelty. A witch trial here, a drowning there, a lost head somewhere else. Witch. Monster. Demon. She’s heard it all. This, too, used to be different. When Maria had still been young and not yet chosen. But those memories are hazy and no matter how much she tries to cling to them, she can’t make them any clearer. It’s awful. Time does that. 

She leaves her thoughts behind to clean her weapons and go through her remaining clothes. She needs to decide where to go, what to do. Canada, she thinks. She has a house there, far away from everything and everyone. She likes it. It’s quiet and peaceful in a world that has never once known peace. With the where sorted, she can wonder about the what next. Relaxing for just a day sounds nice but Maria grows restless easily. She needs to do something, always. Her body needs a rest first and foremost though and in all her years alive, she’s learned to listen to it. Just because she’s immortal doesn’t mean she needs to push her limits all the time. Canada will be nice. She’s looking forward to it. 

* * *

Natalia is twenty-two the first time she dies. It happens the same way it’s happened to so many of her sisters before her: as a punishment. One failed mission usually means nothing more than a few whippings or beatings. Failure must be punished, and Natalia knows no other way of life. But she isn’t the one failing missions. Natalia is perfect. She’s never failed at anything in her life; not during her training, nor her graduation or any mission following that. Except she has, this one time. One time is enough to die, be it out there or in here. The Red Room doesn’t care. She hesitated and in her hesitation the enemy got their hands on her. Natalia was gone less than two hours. She’s given nothing away but she didn’t manage to kill all of them. In turn, the Red Room made sure that there are no loose ends to be found. The beating’s come first; a few broken bones before the bullet’s gone right through her head, simple and quick. 

So waking up hours later in her own blood with a bullet embedded into the floor next to her causes her to panic. Natalia knows she has died. She’s felt it. She’s felt her bones break before that. She blinks a few times, her heart hammering in her chest, and then she stills. She can breathe. Nothing hurts. Something is wrong. None of this makes sense. Natalia sits up and then doesn’t move. She needs to leave but still her heart is with the Red Room. This is her family; her life. She can’t have died. Natalia tries to remember but can’t. She thinks she’s making things up. The blood says otherwise but she’s here and she’s alive. It can’t be both. 

Finally she gets up and leaves the room. She wanders the halls until she reaches her dorm where she’s immediately met with stares. No whispers follow but she hears them anyway. Natalia is supposed to be dead. She hears it in their looks, sees it in the way they tense ever so slighty. They are trained assassins and spies. Death doesn’t faze them. But she’s come back from the dead and that isn’t right. There are no wounds on her body; nothing to indicate she ever got hurt at all. She scares them. Natalia smirks and watches the other girls closely. None of them move. Nobody speaks or shifts away from her. They will leave her alone. Even within this family, Natalia has always felt alone anyway. 

The dorm clears out when she sits on her bed and keeps watching them. They will tell the handlers about her. She doesn’t have much time to herself, she knows. She doesn’t mean to but Natalia falls asleep. She dreams of a woman she’s never seen before. Her face is sharp and her eyes are bluer than any she’s seen before. She doesn’t know her but even in her dreams, it feels like she does. 

When the handlers find out less than ten minutes later, Natalia is still asleep. The men stare for a moment, surprised. She’s alive. She has no right to be. The shot rings out before she even wakes up. Her sheets get soaked and Natalia remains lifeless for two minutes. It hurts when she opens her eyes, wide awake, and she can’t tell if it’s from the bullet wound or the closing of said bullet wound. When she moves to get up, another shot follows but she blinks and finds herself still alive, not alive again. The bullet hit her leg and it takes her a moment to realize they are all watching her flesh repair itself. Nothing remains of the wounds when her body is done and Natalia expects more to follow. Nothing does. The men look at each other and then drag her to her feet before pulling her along to the headmistress. 

It’s useful, immortality. Madam B doesn’t hesitate to make the most of Natalia’s. She already makes plans for all the missions Natalia can simply die on if necessary. She’s never been more perfect. Natalia says nothing. This is her life; her fate. She will do what she is told because she is perfect. 

* * *

Maria wakes up with a start. This can’t be happening. It cannot be real. There is another one. There hasn’t been another one in centuries. She’s not ready for it. Maria has resigned herself to being alone; to being the last one. The only one; just like she’s been for most of her life. But now she dreams of a woman with red hair, somewhere in Russia. She needs to find her. She has to. The first time is always the worst. There are so many questions and not enough answers. 

Maria packs her bags and heads out. She can’t waste any time in locating her. Nobody should be alone after finding out they can’t die and Maria is the only one who can do anything at all. She doesn’t have all the answers but at least they won’t be alone. And it will stop the dreams. Maria’s almost forgotten what that’s like, to constantly see the same face over and over again. Details of a life that aren’t hers and a death she didn’t feel happen. It’s maddening. The sooner she finds her the better. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the overwhelmingly kind support and feedback on this story in particular. It makes me really happy to see everyone enjoy this. Huge shoutouts to my content betas; Tesla twin and movieaddictdoctor.
> 
> For more notes on how to reach me, check the end notes :)

Maria’s search for the woman takes her all over the globe. Every time she thinks she’s close to her, her dreams indicate another location; another country. She travels a lot. She tries to find her in Russia. It’s still the place she feels closest to but she has no other leads and the country is too large to find just a single person. She knows there is space where the woman lives, nothing but nature and forests surrounding them, but that isn’t much to go on. She hasn’t struggled this much to find anyone since the first immortal after her. But back then travel hadn’t been as easy as it is now and she remembers wandering for months at a time just to get to her destination. Things are different now. Apparently not any easier though, as far as this woman goes. Deciphering the dreams has never been her strongest suite, although she’s gotten quite good at it. She can’t make out as many landmarks as she’d like, on the few ocassions she actually sees one in her dreams. It would be easier with another one; a second person here with her who can also dream of her. It’s always been better that way. She’ll see one thing clearer than the others and vice versa. But she’s alone now and she still needs to find the redhead. 

She startles awake with a curse. Another death. The same woman. It’s the third time now since she’s started searching for her and she can’t help but wonder who she is. Why she keeps dying. Most people only die once. Maria closes her eyes and runs a hand down her face. This isn’t right. She forgets about sleep and grabs her things to keep going. The woman has to be somewhere. She must dream of Maria too. Maybe she’ll come looking for Maria, the same way Maria is searching for her. That would certainly make things easier. This time she feels like she’ll get somewhere. 

Her search takes her to St. Petersburg. The city is absolutely gorgeous but she doesn’t have time to really take it in. She’s been here before, many decades ago. A lot has changed since then but she walks the streets like she belongs there. She stops by a small shop, taking in the display in the windows. Dolls, small ones and some the size of a baby. She’s seen these before. She recognizes the frilly dresses and the distinct way their faces look. Maria takes them in for a good minute. The redheaded woman has been here multiple times before. She’s seen this shop in her dreams, she’s sure of it. This is the most of a lead she’s gotten yet so she heads inside with the intention of inquiring about the woman. She doesn’t usually ask anyone, always able to find the others on her own, but she’s hardly gotten closer to her in the past few months. Maria is tired. The man inside is friendly and eager enough to help. Maria’s Russian is a little rusty and accented but it’s not so bad that he can’t understand her. She knows the effort is appreciated. She asks about the woman with red hair and the man nods thoughtfully. He has seen her before but she’s never stepped a foot inside the shop so he can’t help much. Maria lets him point out the doll she’s looking at the most and, on a whim, Maria decides to buy it. 

Staying here won’t do her any good and there’s nowhere to stay for a while that has a good view on the shop. She’ll just have to keep looking the old fashioned way. Maria takes a break in a small café and takes the doll out from her bag to look at it. It’s entirely unremarkable, though very well made and pretty. She wonders why this one caught the redhead’s attention so. There is absolutely nothing about it that stands out to her. She tucks it away again when her drink arrives and thanks the waitress before turning to do some people watching. How long can she continue searching for this woman before the dreams drive her insane? They are maddening, night after night. It must be the same for her, except Maria knows what this means and what’s happening. The redhead does not. 

“At least give me a name, damnit,” Maria mumbled into her coffee. 

* * *

Maria makes no further progress in her search the following weeks. She tries asking around a little more but to no avail. It would help if she had a name to ask for but none of her dreams have given her that piece of information yet. She wonders whether the woman knows her name. 

Maria goes to central Europe when her dreams lead her there. The redhead hasn’t been in Russia for the past two weeks. Travelling across the continent doesn’t take too long luckily, though there is still the issue of figuring out where exactly she is. Maria stops somewhere in western Germany, close to the borders so she can hop over if she needs to. She thinks this is a god spot. Not exactly where the redhead is but closer now than when she was waiting in Russia. She quite likes it here, actually. It’s no Canada but it is nice. She tries to find the upsides to searching for this elusive woman and the seceneries certainly count. 

Her thoughts are interrupted by the feeling of eyes on her and she straightens up instinctively. Over the years, Maria has gotten exceptionally good at knowing when she’s being watched. The feeling is subtle but there. Someone professional then, not just a random passerby staring at her. While that isn’t particularly reassuring, Maria doesn’t feel like there’s a threat. Curiosity, maybe. Her best bet is an agency of some sort. That wouldn’t be a first. She gets approached by semi independant agents often enough but usually there are several emails involved beforehand. She turns around to scan the crowd, not bothering to hide that she’s doing it. A man catches her attention, tall, dressed in a leather coat and sporting a matching eyepatch. He’s enjoying a coffee inside a decently packed coffee shop, looking as out of place as Maria did in Victorian England. He raises his cup when their eyes meet across the street and she crosses it to head inside the café and sit with him. The man says nothing and Maria waits for the waitress to take her order in a surprisingly quick service before she says anything at all. 

“You’re watching me. Why?”

“You’re looking for someone,” he says easily. “And I believe I can help you find her.”

Maria frowns, then waits again for her coffee and the waitress to leave before continuing the conversation. Except it’s the man that continues. 

“The woman you’re looking for has been on our radar for a few years now. We’ve been trying to track her down and we believe we’re finally getting closer to that. Work with us.”

Maria thinks it over and sips from her coffee. If the redhead has been on the radar of someone like this man, that raises more questions than it answers. But it also answers one very important question that’s been plaguing her for weeks now. 

“Who is she?”

“We only know her as the Black Widow.”

The Black Widow. Maria has heard that name before. Within the circles she frequents to travel, that name is almost legendary. Assassin, spy, seductress. Whatever she needs to be. Maria’s heard the tales and whispers. She knows of her. The woman is exceptionally dangerous but so is Maria when she wants to be. This revelation explains the amount of travelling at least, and why it’s been so incredibly difficult to find her. The Black Widow only gets found when she wants to be found. 

“Who do you work for?”

“The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D., for short. I’m Director Fury.”

“Someone was desperate to make that spell something,” Maria huffs. “Can’t say I’ve heard of you before.”

“We like to keep things under the radar. Let the FBI and CIA be the flashy ones.”

Maria laughs into her coffee. That’s funny. She’s worked with both of those agencies before and Fury’s barb at them is pretty accurate. 

“And what is it you have in mind once you catch her? With what I know about her, you’re not going to just let her walk free.”

“We’ll just have to see when we get there.”

That isn’t good enough though. Maria has no intention of letting them lock her up. She knows some of the things the Widow has done are awful to say the least but she’s like Maria now; stuck with immortality. She won’t leave her to her fate. Locking her up won’t do anyone any good. There isn’t a prison anywhere in the world that can hold people like them. 

“If I have other plans?”

Fury watches her intently with his one eye and then lifts his cup up to his lips. 

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

Something about the statement makes Maria frown. Fury knows more than he lets on which could potentially pose a problem. Maria keeps her secret closely guarded and Fury hasn’t once asked her why she’s looking for the Widow. It smells like a trap but at the same time she doesn’t get that same feeling from Fury himself. It’s strange. He’s cloaked in secrets without being shady. That’s a fine line to walk and Maria can respect that at least. She’s still reluctant to agree to anything quite yet though. None of this seems right. Fury doesn’t push for an immediate answer and just finishes his coffee in silence. Maria adds nothing more to the conversation. She watches him, then the people around her. She wonders how many of them are agents. Wonders whether they’ll try to arrest her id she makes a wrong move. It wouldn’t surprise her. The CIA’s tried that before when she refused to accept one of their shadier jobs. But nobody does anything that ticks her off or gives her the impression she’s being watched. It’s just Fury and her, and that, too, is weird. She has no idea what to make of him. 

He gets up and fumbles with his coat pocket for a moment before sliding a small business card across the table. On it is nothing but a single phone number. Maria takes it, flips it over once, and then pockets it. 

“Give me a call when you’ve made up your mind,” he says. “I think we can help each other a great deal.”

With that he drops some money on the table to pay for both their coffees and then leaves the coffee shop. Maria watches him go. What a strange day this is turning out to be. Maria realizes later, as she takes her last sip of coffee, that he’s never even asked for her name. She doubts that he knows it but it’s curious, especially considering the nature of this entire conversation. It speaks in his favour, she thinks. She leaves as well not five minutes later and roams the streets some more. The Widow isn’t here. Not with Fury so close. Whatever tales exist about her, Maria has never heard anyone call her cocky. The redhead is careful and calculated with her risks. She doubts that’s changed now just because she can’t die anymore. It’s easy to become reckless with death no longer affecting you but Maria hasn’t gotten the impression that this applies to the Widow. Her dreams make for a very convincing argument. She doesn’t know whether she’ll accept Fury’s offer yet. There have to be string attached somewhere. She just needs to find them. She’s not keen on walking into a trap that will get her captured and experimented on. She knows that’s always a possibility when working with anyone, but especially when it comes to federal agencies. She doesn’t trust them very much. She wants to avoid that for the Widow as well. There has to be a reason she does what she does. Maria wants to find it. She needs to find it, and find her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently not very active on tumblr save for posting when I publish a new story or chapter, but I've just expanded my discord server to make it a home for writing talks as well. So if you're interested, you're welcome to join me there and hang out, as well as chat about all things writing and games :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay! This chapter did not want to cooperate with me.

The few times Natalia gets to rest between missions, she allows herself to think about the woman in her dreams. She doesn’t have time to do it during her missions. She needs to pay attention. She’s died twice more since Madam B has started putting her newfound immortality to use. Once on a mission and once by her hands. She doesn’t want to risk more of it. Just because she will wake up alive doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to die. She absolutely hates it. But the woman she dreams of offers a good distraction from the rest of her situation. She doesn’t understand it, not even a little bit, but for once she feels like it’s okay to not know. She’s terribly intrigued by her. She’s made the connection to her sudden immortality weeks ago already. She’s still not sure how or why but the woman is related to it somehow. Natalia doesn’t think she’s the cause but there is something. She just needs to figure out what it is. With her lack of freedom to move and do any kind of research or recon on personal matters, she’s stuck wondering. She tries to make sense of the dreams but there is only so much she can do. The woman doesn’t seem familiar, though her face has its own kind of familiarity from the dreams alone. Natalia can’t remember the last time she’s wanted to dream. Something about the recurring sight of those blue eyes calms her. It’s a better dream than her usual nightmares in any case. 

It’s a gut feeling and little more but Natalia feels like she’s being followed. Not so near her that she could do anything about it, but from afar. Someone is on her trail. She wonders whether it’s the woman or any of the agencies that want her dead. Both, she thinks. She sees familiar landmarks in her dreams sometimes. And it’s not that she’s gotten sloppy but she knows she’s made plenty of enemies doing the work that she does. She’s a spy and assassin after all, and the rest of the world is full of hypocrites who condemn her but do the exact same thing. She’s tired of it all but she is perfect and so she continues on. 

She gets no more rest for the next month. It’s one mission after another. One infiltration here, stealing secrets there, then back to an assassination or two. She executes each mission flawlessly. Somehow she still feels like whoever is after her is closing in on her though and she can’t do anything to stop it. She covers her tracks and never stays in the same place too long. It doesn’t seem to be enough. Her dreams aren’t helping and she finds no clues in them anymore. Though they are still a welcomed distraction, Natalia is terribly tired. She’s constantly on guard, even more so than usual. She should mention it to Madam B at the very least but she knows what will happen if she does. They will kill her again. Not that it would help. They’d just send her out again and she would be followed once more. Natalia doesn’t see a difference. It’s all the same to her. Whether or not she dies, she will never be left alone one way or another. She needs to find a way to deal with it. 

She’s sent on yet another mission in Eastern Europe when things start going really wrong. She’s ambushed within the safehouse she uses while in the area. One provided by the Red Room. She realizes it too late and curses herself for her carelessness. Natalia is never safe. She should know better. The Red Room is afraid of her. She has to wonder if the idea is to kill her so many times she’ll eventually stay dead. Or forgotten. Natalia doesn’t know and she doesn’t want to find out. The Red Room gets too creative with ways to punish. They would find something to make her suffer for all eternity. She kills her assailants but not before getting wounded herself. She knows by now that these will heal. It’s just a matter of time. They still hurt though and she can’t risk getting caught by anyone else. Natalia flees. She has no real idea where to go. Her safe houses are all property of the Red Room. No matter where she goes, they will find her. But for now she runs. Natalia knows how to hide; how to make herself disappear. They may have eyes and ears everywhere but she is good. She’ll find a way. A place. 

Natalia runs for six days. She rests a couple of hours every day to eat and sleep but other than that, she’s constantly on the move. She can’t afford not to be. Her dreams are chaotic; still those blue eyes and sharp angles but also blood that she knows all too well. Her own. The other girls. Her sisters. Her teachers. She doesn’t think any of it belongs to the other woman. Natalia thinks she might be going insane. Maybe the dreams are finally catching up with her. She laughs to herself, tired and exhaused, and then finally collapses. She loses consciousness before she even hits the ground. 

When she wakes up next, she’s somewhere warmer and softer than the environment she remembers fainting in. She doesn’t move right away, cautious, but opens her eyes to check out her surroundings. She’s in someone’s house. She feels no threat coming from the other person in the room but she’s not stupid enough to let her guard down. Everyone is a potential danger. She sits up when she realizes the other person is an old man. He’s unarmed and this is clearly his house. She’s not comfortable but if he wanted her dead, he could have already done so without bringing her here. She certainly doesn’t feel any worse for wear. She thinks it’s safe enough for now. Natalia still has no idea where she is and there is nothing in the room to indicate a language to help clear things up. Before she can say anything, the old man turns around and smiles warmly and she’s on edge again. She doesn’t trust people. 

“You’re awake,” he says in what she recognizes as Belarusian. 

She prefers Russian herself but is fluent enough in this. At least now she knows where she is. Belarus. She’s been here for a few jobs before. 

“Yes,” she says. 

“Would you like something to drink or eat?”

Natalia hesitates. She shouldn’t take anything but she is quite thirsty and she can’t remember the last time she’s eaten. She nods once and he smiles again before leaving for what she presumes to be the kitchen. She gets up and follows him. He hands her a glass of water which she accepts quietly. She can’t stay here. She watches him move with half lidded eyes. He doesn’t know who she is. He doesn’t necessarily need to die. She also doesn’t know of anyone else has seen her here or if he’s told anyone about his find. If not yet, he might later. 

Her approach is silent and quick and he falls to the floor before he even realizes anything is going on. The wire in her hand is bloody and she stands over his dead body for a few moments. She thinks she should feel something this time. It’s not been a job; not an assassination she’s needed to carry out on some person she’s never even met. He’s helped her. Natalia feels numb. She steps over his body and grabs the toast he’s made her before wiping her presence from the house. She leaves through the window and makes sure nobody’s seen her before disappearing into the nearby forest. She doesn’t know where to go but she knows she needs to keep moving. She’s not safe. 

Natalia spends the next week on the run. She crosses a few more borders before finally allowing herself to slow down. She’s somewhere in Eastern Germany now. She could leave the continent; try for the States or maybe South America. The Red Room’s influence spans far though and nowhere is really safe. There are too many operatives outside of Russia. She doesn’t know all of them but they will know her. A Widow on the run is dangerous, especially one who can’t die. They will want her back one way or another. And then there is still the problem of whoever else is closing in on her. She’s tired of running but it’s her only choice for now. She ignores the safe houses she has in the area and helps herself to an abandoned building on the edge of the city she’s just entered. It’s auiet around and nobody will notice her presence, nor does she think anyone will care. At worst she hopes anyone seeing her inside will think she’s homeless. There’s nothing of worth left in the house anyway. It’s empty. The walls around the building are high enough to make it difficulty to see inside at least. She can fix the water issue and get some electricity but she’s not too bothered by either right now. Natalia considers trying to find out more about the woman in her dreams but she has no name and no other info that would help her find out who she is. Nor does she have the ability to do any researching right now. It will have to wait. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One long writing session later and this chapter happened. I'm super stoked with it and I hope you guys are too. I've also added the slowburn tag seeing how it took long enough to make this one happen. Thank you all so much for your lovely comments!

The next two weeks feel like a blur to Maria. She doesn’t sleep much, still desperately trying to find the Black Widow. Her dreams startle her awake every time she tries to get any rest. There is more blood. More cities and running. Maria knows this is different from before. She’s always been moving around a lot but there were always resting periods. Now there is fear and a sense of dread Maria can’t shake. The Widow is on the run. That’s bad for both of them. It’ll make finding her even more difficult than it already has been this whole time. Maria fingers the card in her pocket. Fury. S.H.I.E.L.D.. She hasn’t given it too much thought before but this might be her last chance. If they get their hands on her now, who knows what they’ll do to her. Maria needs to act. She takes it out of her pocket and stares at it for a few minutes. Fury seemed honest. But Maria knows that even in a partnership, she won’t get a say in what happens to the redhead. She’s not an agent; not important within the agency to make those kind of demands. She supposes that, if necessary, she can always find her a way out. Maria knows how to keep herself hidden away with few ties to anyone, and if the last few weeks are any indication, and even the months and years before that, so does the Widow. Maria weighs her options and decides to give the man a call. She’s halfway to the second ring when he picks up the phone. 

“I’m in,” is all she says and she hears him huff on the other side. 

“Come to HQ in D.C.; the Triskelion. You can’t miss it.”

She hangs up before he can say more. She knows the building but she’s always wondered what it’s actually housing. Just never enough to look into it. She grabs her bag and leaves to get there as quickly as possible. She knows they don’t have the redhead yet but it’s only a matter of time. And if she’s on the run, then S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t her only problem. Whoever she’s been working for this whole time will be after her too. The ones who’ve been killing her. Maria growls quietly at the thought. Nobody should have to go through that. It makes her angry. She pushes it aside in favor of focusing to get to D.C.. It’s a ways away from where she is now and it’ll take her a few hours to get there. 

By the time she does reach it, it’s late in the evening but she still drives up to the building. Fury’s never asked for her name so she wonders what he told the people guarding the entrance. A visitor pass without a name is difficult to issue and distribute. Maria isn’t worried. In fact, she gets in without any issues and just tells the confused looking agent at the entrance that she’s meeting with Fury. He finds the pass he’s supposed to give her and lets Fury know she’s here. Maria walks around the lobby and takes in what she can. The massive statue of their logo right in the middle of the lobby is a bit much but otherwise it’s nice enough. 

Fury is with her just a few minutes later and it earns her quite a few curious stares. Maria isn’t fazed by any of them. There aren’t a whole lot of pleasantries and she follows him into the elevator when he nods towards it. 

“Have you located her yet?”

“No. There have been some… complications,” Fury says. 

The complications being her having gone rogue and on the run. Maria isn’t stupid enough to say that out loud. If Fury knows who she is, he hasn’t made any indication towards it. She won’t out herself. That’s dangerous, especially to intelligent agencies who have a habit of wanting to use people with special abilities. 

“There is a lead,” he continues. “But it’s a couple of weeks old and we’ve not had much luck tracking her since. There has been no activity. We assume she’s gone into hiding.”

“What’s the lead?”

“A body. It fits some of her other victims but he seemed to have just been an old man. No history that could make him a target. We think he got in the way and she disposed of him.”

Maria thinks that over as the elevator keeps going up. The blood she’s seen in her dreams must have been his. She doesn’t think Fury’s reasoning is right however, but that, too, she keeps to herself. She’s not willing to offer too much information she isn’t supposed to have. Fury might appear trustworthy but she’s not an idiot. She doesn’t trust this man further than she can throw him. 

“So she killed him and ran?”

“That’s what it looks like. She hasn’t popped up on any radars yet but that’s where I’m hoping you might be able to help. You’ve been tracking her by yourself. You must have an idea on where she could have gone. Whatever way of tracking her you have rivals ours.”

Maria’s lips twitch into a smile. So that’s it then. She’s come here for help in finding the Widow but they need her. She can work with that. 

“Where did you lose her?”

Her wording isn’t lost on Fury but he keeps his expression neutral. Maria herself hasn’t been able to pinpoint much lately. The last location she could make out was a small village in France but that has been days ago now and the redhead has long moved on. 

“Belarus.”

Maria is weeks ahead of them then. The Widow is good. Of course she is. Nobody gets a reputation like that at such a young age without being exceptional. 

They reach Fury’s office and he closes the door behind them so they can talk. He doesn’t normally seek help from anyone outside of the agency but it feels necessary this time. He knows when he’s outmatched. Maria gets that. She isn’t here because she thinks she can find her on her own. She sits down when he does and says nothing for a few moments, thinking. She will have to share if they want any kind of shot at finding her. S.H.I.E.L.D. is far behind at this point and Maria worries for the redhead. She needs to find her. It’s been weeks upon weeks without getting any closer to her. 

“France. Two days ago,” she says. 

“She hasn’t taken any flights or ships so she must still be somewhere in Europe.”

Making her way to Asia is also an option but it would take longer than just a couple of days, especially without taking a plane. Maria hasn’t gotten the feeling that the redhead is planning on going that direction. They could find her in Europe. The question is just where. 

“Must be.”

Fury studies her with his one eye and Maria lets him. She crosses her arms over her chest and stares right back at him. She’s not afraid of him. She’s not afraid of anyone. She can see the questions behind his eye but he doesn’t ask any of them. Not yet. They’ll come. They always do. He won’t be the exception. 

“Any idea where we might find her?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Any idea how to find her then? You know where she was two days ago. That’s more than we have.”

Maria reads the real question easily enough. It isn’t how to find her; it’s how she’s tracking her. She shrugs, still not entirely willing to share that information yet. Fury has offered what they have but Maria needs a little more before she’s ready to make herself vulnerable. 

“No. If I could find her on my own, I wouldn’t be here,” she repeats.

Fury stares her down at her answer but she doesn’t budge and he nods eventually, accepting it. 

“You said she was in France last? Where exactly? Maybe we can pick up her trail again.”

“I’m not sure. A small village. I do believe it’s somewhere near a border. German or Swiss one, maybe.”

Fury eyes her again. That isn’t terribly helpful and she knows it but if she’d have managed to make out where exactly the redhead was then, she would have tried to find her without Fury’s help. 

“How do you know that much without knowing the specifics?”

“I have my ways of tracking her. They’re not accurate down to an exact location but it’s enough for a general area. All I can give you is Eastern France. Even if I had an exact location to share, two days are a long time to travel within Europe. I think we both know that she doesn’t leave traces.”

He concedes her point with a short nod. Europe, unlike the States, is easy to traverse in a short amount of time. She could be anywhere by now. 

“Eastern France… it’s a starting point.”

It’s Maria’s turn to nod. It is a starting point but not much of one either. She watches him closely and tries to read his expression. She still doesn’t know what they’ll do with the Widow once they find her. 

“What will happen to her if you find her?”

“I already told you, didn’t I? We’ll see when we get to it.”

“Will it change anything if she’s on the run?”

Fury narrows his eye at her and then frowns, shifting in his seat to think. It’s a risk to bring it up but a calculated one. If the Widow is on the run, that might change the way Fury and his agency approach her. The question is whether it will be for better or worse. 

“You have reason to believe that she is?”

“I do. And I think you agree. She’s disappeared without a trace.”

“So you think she’s gone rogue then… It’s a possibility. Her MO has changed.”

“I need to be able to speak to her.”

“You’ll get your chance, but not before we do.”

Maria doesn’t argue that. As long as she can talk to her. She’ll figure out the rest when it comes to that. Fury is a man of his word; at least that much she doesn’t doubt. He hasn’t given her any reason to. 

“It will take us some time to pick up her trail and try to locate her. If you have any future leads, I hope you will share them with us.”

“I might, if this goes both ways.”

“That’s the idea. I like my partnerships to be mutually beneficial.”

Maria nods once. That’s promising. There is nothing else to talk about right now so she excuses herself and leaves. Fury lets her without a word but watches her exit. Finding the way out of the building is easy enough and she finds a place to stay in the city while she waits. Either they will find the Widow or Maria will. 

* * *

It takes another week before she hears from Fury again. Her dreams haven’t been helpful lately so she appreciates the call when it comes. He gets straight to the point and asks her back to the Triskelion. They found her. Maria lets him finish before hanging up. She can get the details later. She needs to meet this woman. The feeling is bound to be mutual. She reaches the building in record time and an agent leads her to where Fury wants her. The Widow is going through her first interrogations right now, handled by Fury himself. That’s all Maria manages to find out; at least until the door to the room she’s in opens and another agent steps inside. She’s in an observation room with nothing to observe. She suspects Fury and the redhead on the other side, if only because she already feels calmer just being here. 

“You’re the one Director Fury mentioned.”

Maria raises an eyebrow and the man grins at her. 

“I’m Hawkeye. I found her.”

“She’s in there?” She asks, nodding into the seemingly empty, adjacent room. 

He looks surprised for a moment but then shrugs and nods. The room looks like any other except for the fact that the people in it aren’t currently visible. 

“Yeah. Fury’s talking to her.”

“How long is that going to take?”

“Dunno. They’ve been in there for a while.”

Maria doesn’t add anything and turns back to watch something she can’t see. 

Inside the room, Natalia’s eyes look for something she can’t pinpoint. Something has changed. There has been a shift she can’t explain. She feels calmer; a little less agitated. It distracts her from what Fury is saying and she stops paying attention in favor of searching for the source of this new feeling. Fury picks up on it quickly and frowns, curious. He finishes his point without her listening. They’ve been talking for well over two hours now and she looks exhausted. He stands up and that, finally, brings Natalia’s attention back to him. 

“There’s someone else who wants to have a word with you.”

Natalia frowns but says nothing as he leaves the room. She waits, staring at the window. Someone is on the other side of it. There is always someone. When the door opens again, the woman from her dreams steps inside and she freezes. Maria closes the door behind her and they stare at each other for a few moments. She’s finally found her. Natalia ends up glaring at her and moves faster than Maria can anticipate. She’s fast herself but the redhead beats her to the punch; almost literally. The handcuffs she’s been in haven’t kept her tied to the desk despite appearances and she has Maria pinned to the door with her hand around her neck in a heartbeat. 

“You. You’re in my dreams.”

Maria doesn’t even flinch, though she hears the commotion outside. She’s guessing Fury is holding the agents back for now. It’s probably curiousity, though it’s reckless all the same. Not to mention she’s blocking the door. Maria doesn’t really care in any case. She has little to worry about. 

“It’s good to finally meet you in person,” she returns. 

“You’ve been following me.”

“You’re very difficult to get a hold of. I’ve been looking for you for a while now.”

Natalia shoves her into the door harder, confused. This is her chance to get answers, at least some of them, but she’s not sure she’s ready to hear them. Maria grunts but makes no move to retaliate yet. 

“What’s your name?” 

Natalia blinks but she doesn’t ease her grip yet. 

“I’m a Black Widow.”

“Your name.”

“Natalia,” she offers, unsure why. 

Maria smiles at her. She finally has a name after all this time. She moves before Natalia can react and punches her hard enough to make her stumble into the table behind her. 

“Neither one of us is going to win a fight here and I doubt Fury will let us go at it for long,” Maria says. “So how about we just talk instead?”

“I listened to enough talk today. First the chatty one, and then Fury. Now you? You’re not S.H.I.E.L.D., so what do you want from me?”

Natalia rubs her jaw and keeps to where she is, leaving some space between the two women. 

“We’re the same.”

She narrows her eyes at Maria. They’re nothing alike. She’s never even seen her before she’s suddenly started showing up in her dreams. Maria steps closer until they’re almost touching and she can hear more shuffling outside. The agents are antsy. 

“You’re not staying here,” Maria says, barely loud enough for Natalia to hear her. “You and I are the same. Whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. has in store for you, I’m not leaving you here.”

“Why should I go with you?”

“I can give you answers. After that, it’s up to you. But being immortal makes it a long time to be in servitude to anyone.”

Natalia freezes at the words and stares at her when Maria pulls back to bring some distance between them. She’s said her piece. Natalia searches her face and then adopts a mask of indifference when the door opens again. She stares straight ahead while Maria turns her attention to the newcomer. 

“I see our cuffs didn’t hold you for long,” Fury says, not even remotely surprised. 

Natalia shrugs and then smirks at him, all teeth. It makes the agents behind Fury fidgety. He turns to Maria, unimpressed by what happened. 

“You done?”

“For now.”

“I’m not,” Natalia says. 

All eyes turn to her. It’s one of the few words she’s said out loud since being brought in. She looks at Maria and ignores everyone else. She’s still confused and left with too many questions. 

“Your name.”

Maria grins. Fair enough. 

“Maria.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Mind telling me what in the world just happened in there?”

Maria watches Fury glare at her. Considering Natalia’s outburst, the question is fair enough. That she got away without any injuries is pure luck but she knows what it looks like from the outside. Natalia reacted much more violently to Maria than when she was first brought in. That doesn’t shed a great light on the situation. She can live with that though. It’s not the first time. 

“I guess she doesn’t like me much,” Maria shrugs. 

She isn’t bothered by this. If Fury is going to be a problem after this interaction, she’ll find another way to get Natalia out with her. For now, she thinks he’s too curious to do anything. 

“It’s time to start talking, Maria.”

Maria raises an eyebrow and huffs quietly. She leans against the wall and waits. They don’t know about her. They don’t know that Natalia can’t die. She will not be the one to say it. 

“If I refuse?”

“I don’t think you’re done talking to her yet. Unless you plan to go through an entire agency for a conversation with someone who may or may not want you dead, I’d suggest you start sharing.”

Maria makes it a show to think it over; to consider his words. She could go through the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D. if she needs to but that’s a hassle she’d rather avoid. She isn’t big on needlessly shedding blood. Fury has already given her more than he’s needed to and she does appreciate that. She is, on paper, just a civilian. He didn’t need to allow her to come here or speak to the Widow. And he’s never pushed for more answers than she’s been willing to give. Maria decides to trust him, as far as she trusts anyone. 

“Alright. She knows I’ve been following her, or rather that I’ve been trying to track her down. I suppose it’s only fair that she doesn’t like that much. But she won’t kill me. I have answers to questions nobody else can answer for her. She still needs me.”

“Why were you looking for her?”

“Because I need her.”

It’s Fury’s turn to raise an eyebrow. Maria shrugs. He doesn’t ask the question that’s on the tip of his tongue despite what Maria expects. No quip about not knowing her, no wondering why Maria needs her. It’s strange. Maria knows that he doesn’t have those answers and she knows every other agent she’s ever interacted with would ask those questions. Fury is different. She considers the implications. This is a good different. She may yet get what she wants, and, more than that, she may yet be willing to give Fury something he wants. 

“Let me talk to her again. Let me give her those answers she’s looking for. No surveillance. Then I will give you the answers you’re looking for.”

Fury mulls it over and Maria waits patiently. She will get the talk she seeks one way or another. She’d much prefer this way though.

“You can talk to her once we’re done moving her but the surveillance stays.”

She’ll take what she can get without needing to argue about it. They’ll just need to be careful. She isn’t worried about that part at all. Natalia is, after all, a skilled spy. And Maria has been doing this long enough herself. 

“Okay.“

Fury nods and then dismisses her and she smiles to herself before leaving his office. She wonders whether he’s decided what to do with Natalia yet. She walks around the building for a while, going back down to the lobby to wait. There are quite a few agents watching her curiously but Maria doesn’t care. She understands that her presence here is strange. She suspects word about her interaction with the Black Widow has made it through at least some of the agency by now. People always talk, be they spies or not. 

A blonde comes to get her a couple of hours later. She eyes Maria curiously and Maria returns the favor. She’s pleasantly surprised when the smaller woman doesn’t seem to care. Maria knows she scares people when she looks at them like that. 

“I’m Agent 13. Fury sent me to escort you to the Widow’s holding cell; and stay with you.”

“So he packed in extra surveillance,” Maria laughs. 

She’s not upset. It’s a little funny, actually, and she already likes Agent 13 more than any of the other ones she’s seen here. Fury knows how to pick them. 

“Just to make sure you don’t kill each other.”

Maria just hums. She’s not about to mention how that wouldn’t matter. She follows Agent 13 when she leads the way. It takes a few minutes and several security checks to reach the holding cells. Maria isn’t sure what she expected exactly but the rooms appear surprisingly spacious. The walls facing the hallway are all see-through. It’s not glass though, she notes. There is the bare minimum of furniture and even a small seperation so people have privacy to use the bathroom and get clean. Other agencies aren’t that generous. Showers are shared and always under surveillance and bathroom breaks must be requested. S.H.I.E.L.D. is miles ahead. 

“This isn’t a prison,” she hears Agent 13 say next to her. 

They stop in front of Natalia’s holding cell, and she immediately looks up and finds Maria’s eyes. She stays in the far corner when Agent 13 opens the door; a sign of good faith. They have treated her well so far, all considering. Maria and her escort step inside and the blonde waits by the door to let them talk. Maria approaches Natalia when the redhead sits down on her bed. Natalia watches her closely. She is still intrigued by this woman. She still wants to fight her, too. But what she said last time still lingers in the back of Natalia’s mind and she wants answers more than anything else. 

“They let you come back.” 

“I promised answers,” Maria shrugs. “That always works.”

“It does. But you’re not a spy. You’re not one of them.”

Maria shrugs briefly, not even glancing back at the blonde still in the room with them. She watches Natalia and then sits down on the other end of the bed. She wants to give her answers without the other agent being able to listen in too much but she also doesn’t want to crowd the redhead. This is far too important, and far too dangerous. 

“No, I’m not. I still have answers to their questions. And yours.”

Natalia isn’t sure what question to even begin with. She has so many of them. Too many. She looks at Maria, trying to determine what questions matter the most and what they can talk about safely. 

“Why were you in my dreams?”

“The dreams start whenever there is a new one like us. I don’t know why they happen or how but we use them to find each other. Once we have, the dreams stop.”

“So there are more like us out there? I only ever dreamt of you.”

Maria shakes her head. She’s glad not to be the only one left but she’s also never wanted another one to appear. Especially not one as young as Natalia. 

“I was the only one left. Now it’s just the two of us.”

Natalia sighs and turns to stare at the wall. She doesn’t want this. She doesn’t want to live forever. 

“What happened to the others?”

“They died.”

Natalia looks at her again, her expression unreadable. 

“I thought that wasn’t possible.”

“I don’t know how or when it happens but eventually the healing will just stop. It takes… a long time though.”

Maria doesn’t hide the pain in her voice very well but she isn’t trying to either. She’s lost all of her friends and somehow still lives herself. It’s tiring. But as long as she has a purpose, Maria will continue to move forward. And now there is Natalia who is so unlike any of the others she’s travelled with. 

“How old are you?”

Maria huffs and grins at her, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. Natalia is quick to pick up on that. She doesn’t get an answer and that alone feels like answer enough to her. Maria doesn’t know. She’s been alive for a long time now. Natalia doesn’t push for an actual answer. They sit in silence for a few moments. She’s taking it all in, thinking. Maria knows she needs time. Natalia stands up abruptly and Agent 13 moves her hand to her gun right away. Just in case. Natalia smirks her way. If she wanted to, she could unarm her in a matter of seconds. What’s a bullet or two when she can’t die anyway. Maria watches the silent exchange, nonplussed. She understands Natalia’s need to do something; to test boundaries. She knows what it’s like wanting to die but being unable to. Still, she decides to step in before either one of the two women does something stupid. 

“Don’t be reckless. Think about the consequences if you do something stupid now.”

Agent 13 frowns, and then a little harder when Natalia shrugs and leans against the wall instead. Maria is right and Natalia knows it. If she outs herself as an immortal now, they’ll do exactly what the Red Room’s done to her. They will use her or lock her up for life. And she has a lot of that left, apparently. That, or they’ll want to experiment on her. She’s been lucky that the Red Room hasn’t. They were far too busy sending her into far too dangerous missions without any regard for her safety, knowing she’ll just walk it off. 

“Fine,” she says, looking back at Maria. “But I’ll hold you to what you said before.”

Maria nods once and then gets up as well to join Agent 13. They’re done for now. Natalia will wait for Maria to keep her promise of getting her out of here. She can be patient and S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn’t been that bad yet. 

Agent 13 escorts Maria back out and to Fury’s office. The way there is spent in silence, though Maria feels her eyes on her every so often. She doesn’t blame her. Between however much she’s overheard and the ending to their little visit to the Widow, she must be confused. But she is a professional and doesn’t bring it up. 

Fury is already waiting for them when they finally reach his office. The way up is ridiculously long but the view is well worth it. 

“Got her those answers?” He asks without missing a beat. 

“Yes.”

Agent 13 stays by the door while Maria approaches his desk to sit in one of the chairs. She might as well be comfortable. She’s promised Fury answers and she’s a woman of her word. Fury looks at Maria for a few seconds and then nods to himself before turning his head towards the blonde. 

“Carter. Your thoughts?”

Agent Carter finally comes closer so she doesn’t have to shout across the whole office. She comes to a stop next to Maria and Maria glances up at her just as she glances down. Carter turns her attention back to Fury quickly enough. 

“Whatever answers Romanova’s been given appear to be enough to keep her in check. She can be reasoned with. She could be an asset, with some effort…” she says, trailing off to once again look at Maria, “and some help.”

Fury listens closely, watching Maria rather than Carter. Maria keeps her expression neutral, but she is certainly interested in the blonde’s words. An asset. 

“She will do what she wants,” Maria provides.

“You kept her from attacking me.”

“Not for your sake. For hers, and mine.”

“Explain,” Fury said. 

Maria shakes her head briefly. She looks from Fury to Carter and then back to Fury. 

“Her situation right now is delicate, and so is mine. By attacking Agent 13 here, she would have jeapordized both of us. Neither one of us has any idea what you plan to do with her yet, and I’ve no doubt you’re trying to find more information on me as well. Giving you cause to act unfavorably isn’t in anyone’s interest right now.”

Fury and Carter share a look and then he dismisses her. She nods and takes her leave. He will want to hear the whole story later. Maria doesn’t turn to watch her go. This part is important. She needs to choose her words wisely. She doesn’t want Natalia to end up working for them for all her life, or worse. She doesn’t want it for herself either. 

“Romanova’s done a lot of bad shit over the years. I want answers, and her current circumstances worked in her favor. There are plenty of people who would rather see her dead. I think she can do some good if given the chance. The fact that you were involved just made it more interesting. Why are you after her? What do you want with her? You’ve made a name for yourself working with agencies all over the world, and yet nobody knows anything about you. I like a good mystery if it doesn’t get my people killed. So I reached out to you. I thought, if you’re looking for her, there must be something more. So I decided to bring her in alive. And now here you both are. I trust Carter’s assessment and if she thinks the Widow can be turned into an asset, then I believe her. So why the hell shouldn’t I try?”

Maria has to give him that: he knows how to give a speech that makes anyone want to answer to him. It’s impressive, really. She isn’t surprised that people want Natalia dead. That she isn’t is definitely a good thing, not that it would even be achievable now. But Fury doesn’t know that. 

“Like I said… her situation is delicate. My reasons are my own but we do agree on one thing already: I think she can do some good too. But not here. Not with any agency. She needs to be a free agent, without ties to anyone. I intend to make that happen, with or without your cooperation.”

“You expect me to just let her go? One of the most dangerous people on the planet,” he deadpans. 

“You can’t contain her.”

“But you can?”

“No. Nobody can. I want to help her. She’s alone and in a situation she doesn’t understand, with no way out of it. There isn’t anybody else who can understand. Keeping her here will only make things worse for you and your agents.”

“I can’t just let her go either. Not with you or on her own. She’s too dangerous for that and not nearly trustworthy enough.”

“Then we have a problem,” Maria says calmly. 

She doesn’t want it to come to this. She likes Fury well enough. She wouldn’t mind working with him in the future but this is something she cannot and will not budge on. Fury stares her down and she stares right back, unmoving. 

“She’s leaving with me one way or another.”


	6. Chapter 6

Maria doesn’t move. She isn’t afraid of Fury, though she is somewhat impressed when he doesn’t budge either. They are at a stalemate, except for the fact that Maria holds all the keys to victory and Fury doesn’t even know it. 

“I like you, Director Fury. I enjoy working with you and wouldn’t mind doing it again. So I’ll give you two options. One: you let me take Natalia with me and nobody gets hurt. Two: we’ll fight our way out, and between her and me, you’re going to lose more agents than is worth it.”

Fury raises an unimpressed but curious eyebrow. 

“Last I counted, there were two of you and several hundred of us. Romanova is good but not even she can get out of this building unscathed, or alive if I give the order. Adding you into the mix isn’t going to change your odds of success,” Fury replies. 

“Perhaps, if the numbers in the equation mattered. Are you so willing to bet the safety of your agents on your belief that they do?”

They stare each other down again and Maria feels the tension in the air rising. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone but she will if she has to. She won’t leave without Natalia. Fury glares at her but he hesitates. Maria sees it in the way his fingers twitch and his brow furrows. He tries to hide it; attempts to mask it behind his stare in hopes she’ll back down. Maria waits. She’s a patient woman with nowhere else to be. 

“Why her?” He asks eventually. “Why risk your life for a woman you don’t know? You had no idea who she was when you started tracking her. Why did you pick her?”

“I didn’t. She was chosen but not by me. It’s like I said: I need her, and she needs me. Not you, or this agency.”

“Then who chose her if not you? You work alone as far as I know.”

Maria wants to laugh but she just grins humorlessly. If only she knew the why and the how. But she doesn’t think those answers exist. She doesn’t think they matter either. 

“Does it matter? I’m not leaving here without her no matter the answers to those questions.”

Fury shakes his head and brings a hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. Natalia is dangerous. This would be a lot easier if she weren’t. Maria could just take her away without worrying about anything, especially not a building with hundreds of potential complications. 

“Choose wisely.”

Fury observes her. His research hasn’t lead to much of anything which doesn’t happen often. Maria is a ghost. That raises questions to which she is the only person with answers. She watches him think and calculate. She knows what it looks like: two against hundreds. Or rather, one against hundreds, considering she still needs to get back down to the holding cells to actually release Natalia. As far as odds go, she knows they don’t look particularly in her favor. Fury is missing half the picture and he’s well aware of it. Her confidence speaks for itself. She only needs to know whether or not he’ll risk it; risk his people. She knows the CIA would. They think too highly of themselves. But S.H.I.E.L.D. is different. Fury is different. They’re the agency most likely to work with people with powers and it shows in the minutes that stretch while Fury thinks. He doesn’t ask any more questions and just watches her closely. Whatever falter in her demeanor he’s looking for never comes. He sighs. He’s reached a decision. 

“We’ll transfer her tomorrow morning at 5am,” he offers. “A small convoy to a secondary facility. If something were to happen to said convoy and our guest would manage to escape, that would be highly unfortunate. We’d need to make sure she can’t leave the country and all satellites would be looking for her.”

“Can’t have that.”

Maria appreciates that. The spot she’s put him in hasn’t been an easy one but she likes this alternative. He doesn’t have to pick that way and it’s definitely not on him when Maria hijacks the convoy in the morning. She likes his style. They look at each other for a few more moments before she stands. Fury doesn’t get up but she nods at him anyway. 

“Thank you for the hospitality,” she says before leaving. 

Carter is still outside waiting and she walks past her without a word. She does give her a small smile though because she likes her. Carter is one of the good ones. 

* * *

It occurs to her that this could be a trap. Lure her in and then jump on the chance to arrest her. Maria knows it isn’t and that, too, is strange. Fury is a strange man. She likes that. Any other agency would have ignored her threats or arrested her on the spot for making them. Fury’s given her a chance on a perfect middle ground. 

She watches the convoy leave the island. There are three cars; she guesses Natalia is in the middle one. It will be easy enough to get her out. She waits until they hit the light at the end of the bridge and shoots their tyres, making sure they can’t continue driving. The cars may be reinforced but tyres never are. Even if they were, Maria has ways of piercing through that. The shots are silent but it doesn’t take long for anyone to notice anyway. The agents in the first car step outside to scan the area, guns drawn. Maria is far away enough not to be seen but close enough to reach Natalia before she can go anywhere. For now, the redhead is still in the car with agents guarding her. Maria makes her approach quick and silent. The agents spreading out allows her to knock them out one by one, though it also means she has more incoming. She can hear the commotion inside the middle car while she’s fighting the newcomers. Natalia is acting. 

The car door swings open and an agent flies onto the ground a second later. Maria looks up just in time to see Natalia exit the car. She looks at Maria and pauses. Natalia’s expected that but also not. People always let her down. She doesn’t know what to do with Maria not following everybody else’s example. 

“This is your doing.”

Maria shrugs and comes over to see whether the agents here are still alive. She’s pleasantly surprised to find them only knocked out and not dead. Natalia isn’t exactly known for that. 

“Let’s go before more of them show up. We don’t have much time if we want to get a head start.”

Natalia takes her in and then just nods. There is time for questions later. The details can wait. She pauses for a moment when Maria turns to lead the way. 

“Is that a sword?”

Maria turns her head to look at her and then shrugs with a small grin. She does carry a sword with her on her back. It’s her favourite one. 

“It is. We can talk about that later if you really want to.”

Natalia shakes her head and walks up to her so they can leave. She has many questions. She doesn’t trust her, exactly, but at least Maria has kept her word so far. She trusts that it will stay that way. She doesn’t ask where they’re going and Maria doesn’t offer anything either. Maria leads the way to her car and Natalia gets into the passenger seat without a word. 

The ride out of the city is spent in relative silence. Natalia is lost in thought and Maria has her focus on getting them away safely. By now, someone will have notified Fury about what’s happened. They don’t have much time to get anywhere before S.H.I.E.L.D. will be closely behind them. Luckily, Maria has options. Getting out of the country isn’t that difficult even with the borders closed to them. They don’t need to leave via the obvious routes or by public transport. 

Maria ditches the car as soon as they’re out of D.C. and finds them another one. Natalia raises an eyebrow at the theft but Maria just smirks at her. 

“It’s a friend’s. He left it here for us.”

“That’s why you’re stealing it?”

“Easier for him that way,” she shrugs. 

Natalia huffs. She gets it. She lets Maria drive again and this time they make it all the way to the Canadian border before abandoning the car again. From there, they travel by foot to cross the border through the forest, easily avoiding border patrol. Natalia likes this. She’s good at avoiding people. 

Maria continues leading the way and she’s not surprised that they spend the next miles walking in silence. She doesn’t mind. She does, however, wonder how long it will take before Natalia tries anything. Some people do; just to make sure she’s telling the truth about herself. Natalia seems the type. 

They reach the small cabin two hours later. Maria opens the door and Natalia steps past her. 

“Is this yours?” She asks. 

Maria nods. She takes off her sword and stretches before disappearing to make tea for them both. When she joins Natalia in the living room again, the redhead is inspecting her sword curiously. 

“Don’t touch that,” Maria says. 

The tone of her voice makes Natalia lean back and away from it but it only makes her more curious. There are inscriptions on the hilt that she can’t quite read. She can decipher some of it but not all of it. Natalia knows many languages and recognizes some of it as Latin so she’s curious. Maria hands her the tea and moves the sword onto the table. She doesn’t like people touching it. It is her oldest and most treasured posession after all. 

“Thanks.”

“If you don’t mind, I’m exhausted. We can talk tomorrow. I know you have questions.”

Natalia nods absently, staring into her tea. She’s pretty tired too. She supposes she can wait another day to get answers. She eyes the sword again and Maria watches her closely. 

“If you’re going to kill me, find something else to use,” Maria says nonchalantly. 

“I’m wondering about the inscription. I can only read some of it.”

“It’s old.”

“I gathered.”

“Tomorrow,” Maria just says. 

Natalia drops it. It seems personal and after everything Maria has done for her in the past two days, she doesn’t want to push. She’ll get her answers. This one can wait. 

“There is a bed in the back room you can use. There should be some food available as well if you’re hungry.”

“Okay.”

Maria looks at her for a few moments and then smiles briefly. She drinks her tea and sits with her while Natalia scans the room. There isn’t much to take in, to be fair, but she knows Natalia likes to get all the information she can get her hands on. They are similar in that regard. 

Maria gets up when she finishes her tea and then moves to go to bed herself. Natalia stays on the couch. She doesn’t actually move to the back room, nor the kitchen. She just falls asleep on that couch. 

No dreams come to either of them and Maria wakes up feeling a little more refreshed than she has in the last weeks; since Natalia happened into her life. She finds the woman in question fast asleep on the couch and Maria just watches her for several seconds. She looks much younger like this. Maria is reminded of how unfair all of this is. She’s been stuck like this for a long time herself but Natalia is still so young. She thinks it’s worse when it happens to the young ones. 

“You’re staring,” Natalia mumbles.

“How about breakfast?”

Natalia opens her eyes and looks at her. She sits up and moves her head around to get the kink out of her neck. 

“Sure.”

Maria gives a nod and heads into the kitchen. Natalia decides to follow her. She’s famished. All there is is some toast but it’ll do. Natalia isn’t picky and Maria couldn’t care less. They eat together and Natalia ponders what to ask about first. The few answers Maria has already given her haven’t been too helpful. She doesn’t blame her for that though. It would be weirder if Maria had all the answers for this. 

“So what’s with the sword?”

“What, you don’t like it?”

“You’re evading.”

Maria shrugs. She has many weapons and she’s excellent at using all of them but the sword remains her most used one. 

“I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. Which isn’t saying much.”

“You really don’t know how old you are?”

“It’s a little hard to tell when time shifts so much.”

Natalia considers that for a moment. She can’t imagine living for long enough that she’ll no longer remember how old she is. She doesn’t want that. 

“How long before the regeneration runs out?”

“I don’t know. It feels random. They were all younger than me; nobody got hurt as much as I have. It just stops.”

“So it’s random? Not down to getting hurt or killed enough times?”

Maria nods once. She can see how badly Natalia wants a way out. She doesn’t blame her. She’s wanted it several times before herself. She’s tired of losing people and living on when nothing she does seems to matter. It isn’t fair, but then, that’s just life. Maria knows that better than most and she imagines the same can be said for Natalia. 

Natalia stares at the table before closing her eyes and getting up. She’s never asked for this. For once in her life, she lets her anger bubble to the surface. Maria is the only one she can let it out on and she doesn’t hesitate to do just that. She curses and slams her hand down on the table before lunging at Maria when she moves. Maria is quick to block the blow that comes at her face and tries to hold her down but Natalia is faster. 

“Why did it have to be me?!”

Maria takes the next punch she throws and even allows her to pin her against the table, a butter knife at her throat. Natalia is trying to keep it together enough to not start crying. She wants to. She’s been holding it all in long enough. 

“I don’t think killing me is going to make you feel better, Natalia.”

Natalia jams the knife into her skin but it just barely draws blood. It’s too blunt and she doesn’t have the energy for more right now. Even her grip is shaky. She hates that. She’s stronger than this. She is still angry though. Natalia moves the knife away again and throws it against the wall with an annoyed grunt. Maria watches her calmly. She’s seen this reaction before; too many times to count. She used to be that angry too. But something clouds over Natalia’s eyes and Maria wonders which part is getting to her. 

Natalia takes a step back and falls back into her chair. 

“Don’t call me that…”

“It’s the name you gave me.”

“I hate it. I don’t want it anymore.”

“Then pick another,” Maria says easily. 

Natalia looks at her like she’s crazy for a moment before realizing that Maria has done the same thing. It’s easy enough. She’s gone under many names already. But none of those have been her. She wants something that is all her. 

“Natasha,” she decides. “I want to be Natasha. If I’m going to live, I don’t want to be theirs anymore.”

Maria just nods. She doesn’t ask any questions. She knows nothing about her circumstances; has never cared to ask. Not Fury, nor Natalia. Natasha. Natasha watches her and finds herself oddly relieved at the easy acceptance. This is a new beginning for her. Natalia died when the Red Room killed her. It’s time for her to be someone new; herself. Natasha. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the wonderful comments. It makes me really happy to see you're enjoying this as much as I do.

Maria spends the next day answering questions. She doesn’t have real answers to most of them and while it is frustrating for Natasha, she also understands. Maria is doing her best. Maria does tell her about the others and how they’ve died, and she tells Natasha about what it is she’s doing. What it is they used to do. How she wants to help people in an attempt to make the world a better place. Natasha doesn’t care much about that part. She’s needed to know, for herself, but she isn’t sure she has the capacity for good. Then again, she’s also not sure she wants to spend the next decades on the run. Natasha isn’t sure what to do next and she’s grateful when Maria doesn’t push for anything. She said the choice is hers, so Natasha takes her time thinking about it. She has nowhere else to go for now and Maria is content to keep housing her for the time being. Maria wants her to stay. It’s difficult enough to be immortal and needing to make sure that nobody else finds out, but doing it alone is a whole other struggle. Natasha is too young to deal with this, she thinks. She still doesn’t know enough about her upbringing and backstory but she does know that Natasha’s life has been anything but easy; or happy. 

It takes another day before Natasha has an inkling of what she’s going to do. She’s spent the last day mostly on her own, thinking. Maria hasn’t once mentioned Natasha’s outburst from two days ago and the patience she shows her is something Natasha is anything but used to. It makes her trust her a little. So when she finally has an idea, she joins Maria in the living room and sits down on the couch. Maria watches her. She hasn’t seen her much this past day, aside from dinner. 

“I don’t know about any of the stuff you do or want to do,” Natasha starts. “But if you help me, I think I can stick around for it.”

“You’ve decided what it is you want to do then?”

“I want to wipe out the Red Room.”

Maria looks at her for a few moments, silent. She feels like she knows the name but can’t put it anywhere. Maybe it’s from her dreams. That’s often the case with feelings like these. Natasha recognizes the look on her face and decides to explain. At least a little bit. 

“The Red Room made me. I want them gone.”

“They’re the ones who killed you?”

“Yes.”

Maria doesn’t say anything right away and thinks. From what she remembers from the dreams, the first ones especially, the Red Room is pretty messed up. She’s still missing the whole picture but Maria doesn’t think she needs it. The Red Room is bad, and Natasha isn’t the only girl who’s suffered there. It really is an easy decision to make. 

“How much firepower do we need?”

Natasha blinks once. She hasn’t expected her to agree so readily, after just one tiny question, and another one she hasn’t even asked out loud. Maria never does what she thinks she will. Not when Natasha’s attacked her, not when Maria first said she’ll get her out. Not now. She isn’t used to getting so thrown off by people. Natasha knows people. She’s excellent at reading and manipulating them. And yet none of that applies with Maria. It makes her wonder just how much there is to her and how much Maria lets her see. 

“A small army worth.”

Maria observes her for just a couple of seconds and then grins. She has enough weapons to supply a small army but more importantly: she has herself. And she already knows that Natasha can more than handle herself as well. Between the two of them, they already have a small army. 

“We already have that covered.”

“There’s only two of us, unless you have more friends willing to help.”

“We don’t need them.”

With Natasha’s specialty lying in stealth and Maria’s own tendencies to rush head first into any proper battle, they’re balanced enough. 

“You’re crazy.”

“We can’t die, Natasha. And trust me, I’ve fought enough battles to withstand a small army.”

Natasha doesn’t know what it is about Maria that makes it so easy for her to just believe what she says. It’s irritating and she doesn’t know what to do with it. Immortal or not, she knows she can’t do it on her own. She could, surely, but something about the idea doesn’t seem worth it. They already know she can’t die. They’d do worse. But with Maria in the equation, things just might be different. 

“Okay. But we still need a plan and I’m not there yet.”

“We can come up with something on the way.”

“Have any more friends that can lend us a plane?”

“Something like that,” Maria says, amused. 

Getting out of the country is easy, under the radar or not. She isn’t worried. Natasha can read that on her face and simply shrugs. 

“We’ll make a pit stop,” Maria continues. 

“Where?”

“Italy. We’ll need the supplies I have there.”

Natasha frowns for a moment. From what she’s seen of this house, and Maria’s bag, they have plenty of supplies available to do what they need to do. But a few more days longer won’t matter. She isn’t willing to rush into this unprepared, nor underprepared. 

“If you can draw me a map of the place, we can start on a plan.”

Natasha nods. She knows the main facility inside out. Putting it down on paper won’t be a problem. Maria watches her again briefly. She does wonder what else has happened there but she isn’t going to pry. If Natasha ever wants to offer that information, Maria will listen, but she won’t ask. 

“When do we leave then?”

“As soon as possible,” Maria says. “You need a change of clothes.”

Natasha can only agree with that. Maria has given her some clothes to change into after a much needed shower the previous night, but Maria is a fair bit taller than her so the clothes don’t fit very well. And she’ll need more clothes anyway. She can’t keep wearing the same things every day. 

“I don’t have any money.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“More friends?”

“Something like that,” Maria says again and this time Natasha rolls her eyes. 

Maria just grins. She knows a lot of people. The ones that will get them to Italy aren’t friends but the one who can help get some clothes for Natasha certainly is. Neither party knows about Maria’s immortality and she won’t mention Natasha’s either. Natasha doesn’t ask any more questions about it. She doesn’t care enough to. It doesn’t matter. If Maria trusts them, then Natasha is confident it won’t blow up in her face later. 

* * *

Getting Natasha’s size right is easy enough and a box full of clothes arrives just a few hours later. Natasha is impressed but doesn’t say anything. Maria’s connections so far seem reliable. And the clothes fit too. She changes into something new just to feel better. The clothes Maria’s given her are comfortable but she prefers wearing things that aren’t at least a size up. Maria looks up when Natasha emerges from the back room, changed, and smiles a little. She already looks a lot more like herself again, though Maria still isn’t entirely sure who that is. Natasha isn’t either. 

“Thanks,” she says and Maria nods once. 

“It helps.”

“It does.”

Maria smiles again. She gets that. While Natasha’s gone to change, she’s found some paper in one of her drawers. It catches Natasha’s eye and she covers the distance to take it. There’s a pen on the table next to it. Natasha grabs that too and gets to drawing. She sees the map in her head already. She glances at Maria while she draws the lines and scribbles down some notes. Maria is watching the map come together on the paper without looking at Natasha. One room follows the next, immediately followed by another note on what the room is used for. Maria appreciates the details. Natasha draws several floors before finally finishing it and putting the pen back down. Maria is impressed by her memory and attention to detail. That is going to come in handy. 

“This is everything?”

“For the main facility, yes. There are smaller ones; safe houses and labs. But if we take this one down, everything else will crumble.”

“You can fill me in on everything I need to know on the way to Italy.”

“When do we leave?”

Maria checks the time. It’s gotten late and they’ve both forgotten to eat. There is still enough time to sleep though. 

“In five hours. You may want to pack and get whatever sleep you can.”

Natasha just hums briefly. She’s not tired. She looks at her map for a few seconds before getting up. If they’re leaving practically right away, Natasha needs to occupy herself. Maria watches her pace before deciding to pack her own things. She grabs a few - but not all - of her weapons and puts them back into her bag, along with a few changes of clothes. By the time the essentials are done, Natasha has left the living room again. Maria picks up her sword and a small bag of supplies and then heads outside to sit under the porch light. The fresh air is nice. It doesn’t take her any time to empty the bag beside her. She keeps everything she needs for her sword in it; cleaning supplies and several whetstones to sharpen it with. While Maria maintains her guns and knives well enough, she doesn’t put the same kind of care into any of them the way she does with this sword. She carefully cleans the blade, then the hilt. 

The only reason Natasha doesn’t manage to sneak up on her is because the wood creaks beneath her steps. Maria is good and has too many years of experience of just feeling when someone is near her. Natasha still manages to take her by surprise. She looks up at the redhead and pauses the movement of her arm. Natasha looks a little lost again. Elsewhere. 

“You never did tell me about it,” Natasha says when the silence stretches. 

Maria finishes her set with the whestone before putting it away, leaving the sword balanced on her leg. Natasha needs the distraction. She can read it in her eyes clear as day even if Natasha is trying to hide it. This mission is going to be personal. Those are always difficult. Maria just doesn’t know where to start. This, too, is personal. 

“Have you ever swung a sword?” She asks instead. 

Natasha shakes her head and Maria observes her for a brief moment. Natasha isn’t upset that Maria is evading the topic yet again. She would too. She doesn’t like sharing anything about herself, not that there is a lot of genuine stuff to share in the first place. Maria lifts the sword and lets it glint in the light. She glances between it and Natasha and then sighs. She can count the amount of people who have so much as touched it with her permission on one hand. People she’s known for a long time; centuries even, in some cases. And yet, despite only having spent a few days together, she thinks Natasha probably deserves it. It feels like she’s known her for longer than this anyway, with the weeks of dreams before their first in-person interaction. Natasha stares when Maria presents her with the hilt of the sword. She doesn’t take it right away; just looks at it. Maria smiles. 

“Take it. But if you kill me with it, we’re going to have a problem.”

“I don’t want to kill you,” Natasha says quietly. 

She blinks at the admission. She hasn’t really given it much thought since joining her but it rings true. She doesn’t want to kill Maria. She doesn’t feel like she needs to just to see whether or not she speaks the truth. Not after everything Maria has done for her. She takes the sword and lets it rest in her hand. The weight is perfectly balanced and it isn’t as heavy as she’s expected. She doesn’t understand why Maria is letting her hold this. 

“Why?” Natasha asks.

“I’m not sure,” Maria replies with a half shrug. “You were planning on being up all night, right?”

Natasha isn’t surprised. She nods once and continues to admire the sword from up close. She still can’t make out the entirety of the inscription though. She hopes Maria will share eventually. 

“Come on.”

Maria puts her supplies away again, closes the bag and brings it inside quickly before stepping back out onto the porch. Natasha is still by the door when she gets back. She follows Maria out into the garden and stops when Maria comes to a halt next to a small tree. Its branches are going everywhere but they are fairly thin and Natasha catches on quickly. It will still take some effort to get through them but they are easy enough to cut. Maria instructs her to lift the sword and then makes corrections to her grip and stance. Natasha gets antsy when she steps so close to her but outside of touching her hands, Maria doesn’t make any physical contact. She’s grateful for that. Maria knows better. 

“Swing.”

Natasha’s first swing is confident despite her utter lack of experience. She gets the sword stuck in a branch and it takes another two swings to cut through it. It feels strange to be wielding an actual sword and with the way Maria is looking at her, she knows she’s doing it wrong. Maria offers a few more corrections and Natasha does her best to implement them. That’s easier said than done though and it takes her a while to understand. This isn’t like using knives. Adapting takes time but if Maria is willing to let her have this, then they have all night. 

It takes another twenty minutes before Natasha manages to catch a smile on Maria’s face. It’s warm and genuine and it makes her freeze in place. People don’t smile at her like they mean it. Maria is happy. She’s forgotten what it’s like to teach anyone something new, and to watch them learn. Natasha’s relaxed considerably since drawing those maps and Maria is glad for it. Natasha almost lets the sword slide out of her hand. She looks away from Maria, who isn’t bothered either way, and stares at the tree. It’s missing several branches by now and has a few more random cuts in its trunk. She counts them to distract herself. 

“Hey.”

“You know you can’t evade the topic forever,” she says before Maria can continue. 

Maria just huffs a small laugh and shrugs. She can avoid it for some time longer. 

“I guess you’ll just need to stick around to get your answers then.”

“We’ll see.”

Maria hums but the smile doesn’t leave her face yet. Seeing Natasha with her sword reminds her of home. She doesn’t get homesick often; doesn’t remember enough to justify it. The sight brings back some memories though and that alone makes her think this was a good decision. 

“You pick up on these things quite quickly. Your form is already better than that of some soliders I’ve fought, and fought with.”

“Your instructions were precise enough.”

“At least I’m not rusty. It’s been at least a hundred years since the last time I taught anyone.”

Natasha stares again and lets out a breath. A hundred years. The statement alone makes her head spin. This is her future. She looks at the sword again and glances back down at the branches. How much more blood is she going to spill in hundreds of years? Natasha sighs and gives the sword back to Maria. Maria accepts it wordlessly. Natasha’s mood has shifted again. This is something the redhead will have to figure out on her own. Maybe taking out the Red Room will help. Maybe staying with Maria will help. Natasha doesn’t know but she has no alternatives. She has to try. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just kind of happened.

They get to Italy in a small plane full of smuggled goods. Natasha hasn’t been expecting that but she likes the practicality of it. Maria has connections and travelling off radar is always useful; now more than usual. They need this. Natasha watches Maria go over the map she’s drawn. Maria is working on a plan but she’s missing some crucial information still. She glances from the notes to Natasha. She doesn’t want to ask but she has to. She can’t risk not knowing what she needs to. Natasha closes her eyes for a moment. She knows it’s coming. She nods once to give Maria the go ahead to ask her questions. 

“I need to know what to expect. What are we actually walking into? What kind of resistance should we expect?”

Natasha stares at the paper in Maria’s hand and then steels herself. This part is easy. This isn’t the part that is going to get to her. Maria isn’t asking anything personal yet. 

“The other Widows. I don’t know how many will be there. It depends on current missions and assignments. At best, most of them will be there. At worst, only a handful of girls will be in. The instructors should all be there, plus the headmistress and any other guards. They are all highly skilled and thoroughly trained.”

“Like you.”

“Yes.”

Natasha considers warning her about the girls. Not all of them are adults yet. Killing children is not something most people are okay with and it wouldn’t exactly be fair not to mention it. But Natasha is worried Maria will stop her from doing it too. Natasha has every intention of wiping out every remnant of the Red Room and Black Widow program that isn’t herself and that includes all the other Widows. Even the ones in training. There are always more girls being brought in to be trained up from a young age. Natasha wants to stop it all. Maybe burn it to the ground. She thinks that would be quite satisfying. She keeps that detail to herself. She doesn’t want to risk it. If Maria is going to be mad at her later, then so be it. She doesn’t care. She needs to do this. 

Maria can see something is on the redhead’s mind but she doesn’t pry. She figures it’s the whole thing itself and Natasha just needs time to deal with it all. She doesn’t blame her. 

“Alright. What about the security measures? How do we get inside with as little resistance as possible?”

“We can try to infiltrate the facility during the night. There are guards stationed around the perimiter 24/7. There’s no weak point to exploit to get in so it doesn’t matter where we approach from.”

“Night it is. Can you find your way around blindly?”

“Yes,” Natasha answers easily. 

“Then I’ll follow your lead. We take down anyone in the way and get rid of the facility. We can go through the Eastern entrance and start at the guard rooms. Curb any immediate reinforcements. The training rooms are close to that too so we can stop any access to more weaponry before going for the rest of the facility.”

Natasha nods along to Maria’s suggestion. It’s solid and simple. Too much planning is just going to blow up in their faces anyway. They need some sort of plan but the Red Room is unpredictable so being able to be flexible is going to be much more important. 

“Okay. How long are we going to be in Italy?”

“Not long. The stop there should help with any jetlag and the supplies will be useful. But we don’t need to be there for long.”

Natasha just nods again. She doesn’t get too badly jetlagged and it won’t matter even if she does. She’s on a mission and she’s going to see it through. 

* * *

Maria leads them past an old abandoned building and into a cave just behind it. It looks like it might have been a mine at one point but nothing remains to show for it. It’s filled with stuff. Weapons, artworks, even some old armor. Natasha has a look around. The artworks, as far as she can tell, are all real works that belong into museums. She glances at Maria, who simply drops her bag and collects a few more weapons. Natasha isn’t big on art but she knows enough to recognize some of the styles and associate them with several famous painters. She’s never seen any of them before. They’re probably worth a fortune or two. 

“What is all of this stuff?”

“Gifts, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

Maria looks up and lets her gaze wander. She’s known most of the artists behind the works well enough to be gifted some. The oldest works, most crumbling and barely recognizeable now, are different. She doesn’t really want to talk about that right now though. Maybe another time. 

“I suppose, in a way, they have all been gifts.”

Natasha frowns. She investigates the older pieces and tries to solve the puzzle herself. Some of these are positively ancient and it makes Natasha’s stomach twist painfully. Maria has been alive for a long time. It terrifies her that she might live that long herself. Maria joins her when she’s done filling up her bag. She sighs. 

“I don’t even know why I keep some of these,” she says. “None of it feels like mine anymore.”

“Maybe they still have sentimental value,” Natasha offers. 

Not that she’d know anything about that. Natasha owns nothing that is hers and has no sentimental attachments to anything or anyone. But the tone of Maria’s voice doesn’t sit right with her. Maria has been surprisingly kind to her so far, so she makes an effort to return the favor. She isn’t very good at it. Maria appreciates the thought anyway. 

“Maybe.”

She lets Natasha roam around more and takes the time to appreciate some of the pieces again more herself. Natasha stops in front of the armor. It’s in really good condition despite its obvious age. There is an owl engraved on the chest plate and several more engravings everywhere else. It looks quite fancy, actually. 

“Is this yours?”

“Yes. I haven’t worn it in centuries though.”

“It’s nice…”

“It is.”

Part of her misses donning it. She loves it but these days it just isn’t practical anymore; nor really needed. She touches the owl engraving and traces it absently. Natasha watches her. 

“Why the owl?”

“They’re sacred,” Maria says automatically. “And I love owls.”

Natasha smiles. It’s nice to finally know something personal about Maria. It might even help her figure out more about her. She isn’t stressed about that but she is curious. Maria is the most intriguing person she’s ever met and she doesn’t think it has anything to do with her immortality. At least, not as much as it should. 

“I like them,” Natasha agrees. 

She doesn’t have a favorite animal herself but owls are nice. They’re smart too. Natasha spots another painting leaning against a wall and heads over that way to look at it. It doesn’t look intentionally misplaced but it also feels like it may have been forgotten back there. She touches the frame carefully to tilt it so she can look at it easier. The angle is off if she doesn’t, and the lack of light in this corner makes it impossible to see much otherwise. She kneels down in front of it and tilts her head curiously. She actually feels like she’s seen this one before but she can’t for the life of her remember where, or what it is. It doesn’t say anywhere so she just stares at it. It looks old but it’s still in good condition; better even than some of the other works in here. She supposes the paint deals with humidity better. She wonders who the woman in the painting is. She looks kind of regal but also not; she has short hair and a spear, and an outfit more uncomfortable looking than it probably is. Or was. Maybe Roman, she can’t tell. History isn’t her strong suit. Natasha frowns. Why does she know this?

She doesn’t get to ask about it because Maria doesn’t linger for much longer. She takes her bag and hauls it over her shoulder before calling out to Natasha. Natasha stands back up to look at her. The painting can wait. 

“How do you feel about bad Italian soap operas?”

Natasha raises an eyebrow at the question and Maria just smirks. She nods back towards the cave entrance and Natasha follows her back out and into the abandoned building. It isn’t in the best shape but it’s far from the worst place Natasha has stayed at. It’s actually quite cozy inside. Maria has to tinker a bit to get the electricity and water going but once that’s done, they’re confortable enough. The couch isn’t as hard as it looks either, Natasha notes as she sits down on it. She turns on the TV only to have the remote snatched out of her hand from behind her. She glares up at Maria who is grinning back at her. Maria finds the channel she wants and the rounds the couch to sit with Natasha. The soap operas are her guilty pleasure; an easy distraction from the rest of her life. She doesn’t watch them that often but they are her preferred pick. Natasha finds herself surprisingly engrossed in the whole affair on screen. She wouldn’t call it good but it isn’t bad either and she can see why Maria enjoys them. They’re kind of funny. Maria looks at her and smiles when she realized there is neither a language barrier for Natasha, nor that she hates it completely. 

They watch three whole episodes before Natasha loses her first bit of interest. The distraction is nice and good but she also hates losing focus so close to an important mission. She gets up to check the kitchen for anything to eat. There isn’t much, unsurprisingly. She has no idea how often Maria comes here. Keeping every house stocked would be a waste. They didn’t pass a grocery store on the way here so she guesses it’s either a ways out or in the other direction. She’s hungry though. 

“Hey. What about food?” She calls into the living room. 

Maria turns off the TV and joins her in the kitchen. She always forgets to make a stop by a grocery store or market first. 

“Shops are still open. We can go buy something or try a bistro.”

They both know it won’t be the bistro. It’s too much sitting and waiting in one spot with no way of knowing how extensive S.H.I.E.L.D.’s search for them is. 

“Better get going then before everything closes,” Natasha replies. 

Maria just nods. She grabs some money she keeps stashed away for times like these and then they leave the house for the nearest grocery store. It’s fifteen minutes by foot. It’s just a small, independant shop but Natasha likes it and Maria comes here every time she’s in the area. They have good produce and good prices. She likes the owners too; an elderly couplewho have run the business for decades now. Maria knows she shouldn’t frequent this place so much but something about it makes her think of home. The couple, luckily, have never said anything about her continuously young appearance. She’ll just blame it on good genes if they ever do. 

“Take what you want,” she tells Natasha. 

Natasha looks at her but doesn’t say anything and starts to roam through the shop instead. She picks a pack of pasta - macaronis are her favorite - and some fresh vegetables, as well as two diffrerent buckets of ice cream; one stracciatella and one strawberry. Maria herself picks up a few things to make a sauce out of once she spots the pasta in Natasha’s hands. She pays for everything and they make their eay back to the house. 

Maria puts the ice cream in the fridge and immediately starts cooking the macaroni. While she waits for the water to boil, she gets started on the sauce. Natasha sits down on an adjacent kitchen counter to watch her work. Maria is terribly efficient with the knife and Natasha can appreciate the way those poor tomatoes never stood a chance. 

“Get off that.”

“No.”

Maria dumps the tomatoes into another pot and turns to Natasha with a raised eyebrow. Natasha doesn’t move. It’s the perfect spot to watch her from. She likes doing that, she’s decided. Maria rolls her eyes but lets it go. She continues preparing the sauce and Natasha continues to watch. 

“Do you cook a lot?”

“When I remember to,” Maria shrugs. 

“I don’t like it,” Natasha offers. “I’m not very good at it.”

She can cook just fine if she’s being honest. She’s not bad and she’s not amazing but she’s good enough. The Red Room doesn’t much care to teach useful skills like cooking or other more mundane chores. The only reason Natasha knows how to cook at all is because it was another lesson she’s needed to learn. She’s never needed to be perfect at it though. That’s only for the killing. It’s one of the few skills she’s taught herself out of necessity. 

“I’ve had time to appreciate it more.”

“I never had to make anything nice.”

“If it tastes good, it’s nice enough,” Maria grins. “Next time I’ll let you cook.”

“Who says I’ll still be here for a next time?”

Natasha doesn’t mean to say it. She thinks she’ll stay, at least for a while. She has nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. Plus, she still has questions. She knows Maria doesn’t have the answers to most of them but she’s enjoyed being with her quite a bit. It’s nice to not have to be on her own for a while. Not that she’s really used to that. She’s always been around the other Widows and instructors. The only time she’s ever had to herself is during missions. She likes flying solo. Depending on how this mission goes though, she’s willing to try being in a team. Even if that team consists of only the two of them. 

Maria doesn’t look up from the sauce she’s stirring. She doesn’t think Natasha’s words need a reply. If she wants to leave after that then Maria won’t stop her, but she doesn’t think it’ll come to that. People like them aren’t meant to be alone. Being in solitude for decades or centuries at a time is a punishment, not a choice anyone would willingly make. If she has to wait for Natasha to come to that realization, she will. 

“Try this,” Maria says, offering Natasha a spoon. 

Natasha needs a moment to catch up. She takes the spoon and gets some of the sauce to taste test, careful not to spill anything on herself or burn her tongue. Considering how nice it smells already, it somehow manages to taste even better. 

“It’s good.”

“Good. Go set the table. Pasta won’t take long.”

Natasha rolls her eyes at getting bossed around but she gets off the counter and finds the plates, as well as some cutlery and puts them on the table. She’s getting hungrier by the second. She blames it on the smell. 

Maria brings the food over a few minutes later and they eat in relative silence. She is as lost in thought as Natasha is. Natasha still finishes two servings in record time. It makes Maria chuckle a little. For someone so small, she can sure eat a lot. That’s good though. Maria is glad to see it. 

Natasha is the one to clean up after dinner. She just grabs the plates and starts washing up without a word. Maria appreciates it. It’s not a big deal but the help is nice nevertheless. She leaves the kitchen to finish a few more preparations. They’re only staying for another day and she likes to make sure everything is ready. Maria only does last minute packing when absolutely necessary. Natasha joins her a little later and they spend the rest of the evening watching TV. It’s just a background noise to Natasha though. She’s thinking about the upcoming mission. The Red Room. It all needs to go. She hopes they can accomplish that. Natasha needs that. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is long-ish, and dark, and contains quite a bit of violence, so I've bumped the rating up just in case. 
> 
> Shoutouts once again to movieaddictdoctor and Tesla_Twin for providing criticism that changed the chapter a wee bit.

Natasha says nothing for the entirety of the trip to Russia. Maria understands the need for silence so she doesn’t push for anything. They don’t need to talk. They’ve already gone over the plan again. Maria isn’t worried about that. Natasha deserves the respite. She’s been with the Red Room all her life; this isn’t going to be easy. It’s personal. There is a risk with that but Maria thinks Natasha can handle it. She seems determined enough. Maria just has to trust that. She still considers worst case scenarios just in case though. The Red Room doesn’t know Maria is immortal so if she dies, she’s likely to just remain forgotten until Natasha is dealt with. If needed, Maria knows that’s a valid tactic to employ. Considering they do know about Natasha’s immortality though, and the things she remembers from her dreams, Natasha would likely end up suffering at their hands if they capture her. Actually capturing her in the first place won’t be easy but it is a possibility. Immortality doesn’t come with super strength, sadly. They need to be careful and play their cards right. Maria goes over every possible option while Natasha is lost in thought. 

Maria leads the way to the place she’s stayed at when she was pursuing Natasha months ago. It’s nothing fancy, like most of her safe houses, but it is comfortable and spacious enough to host both of them. According to Natasha, they are dozens of miles out from where the Red Room facility is. It’s far enough that it won’t be easy to trace them here, in case anyone tries. There are smaller facilities all across Russia and Natasha has mentioned the possibility of communications between them and the main facility. If that happens, they will lose the advantage of a surprise assault. Caution and quick disabling of the communications will be key in avoiding the worst. 

Natasha makes herself comfortable on the couch, taking up more space than someone so small should. Maria kicks at her feet to make her move but she just grunts and refuses to budge. Maria rolls her eyes. 

“You’re a child.”

“You only say that because you’re ancient.”

Natasha hasn’t made any progress in her search of Maria’s true identity but she knows that much for sure. If she knew a little bit more about history and art, she might have been able to place some of the items in that cave in Italy into a specific time period. Alas, her knowledge isn’t that refined so she keeps on guessing. 

“Funny,” Maria deadpans. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Natasha says. 

Maria can hear how tense the redhead is despite her relaxed posture. She’s ready to snap at any moment. The sooner they finish this, the better. Maria knows the feeling all too well. She still wants to know more but that’s too much to ask right now. Maybe after this is all done. They will need to talk more anyway. 

Maria grabs a snack from the kitchen and Natasha has a lazy look around from the couch. The places Maria’s taken her to so far have very little in common. Natasha wonders whether it reflects Maria’s preferences throughout the years. She likes this one. It feels warm, even in the cold of Russia. 

“Have there ever been bad people who’ve become immortal?” Natasha asks. 

Maria comes back from the kitchen with a piece of chocolate and ponders the question. It’s a little out of the blue but she’s starting to understand that Natasha is just like that. 

“What kind of bad people are you thinking?”

“You know, criminals, murderers, and stuff.”

“I suppose so. But I also think it depends on how you’re looking at it. Some ideas of what does and doesn’t make a criminal have changed over the millenia, not to mention any motives anyone might have had. Battlefields are technically full of killers and I’ve known quite a few people who were born there. I don’t think it’s a simple yes or no question.”

“Okay.”

“Not what you were hoping for?”

“I don’t know,” Natasha shrugs. “Just curious.”

“For yourself?” 

It’s an easy deduction to make, though Maria isn’t sure it’s an accurate one. Natasha doesn’t really strike her as the type to worry about such things. She’s not entirely sure the redhead has the understanding for it quite yet. The idea of right and wrong seems skewed with her. Maria doesn’t blame her. She’s needed to relearn more than a few things during her long life too. 

“Not exactly. I’m more curious about how you might have dealt with them. Or punished them.”

“Exile,” Maria says easily. 

That catches Natasha’s attention. She hasn’t expected an immediate reply considering Maria’s previous answer. Exile. She supposes that could be quite grueling when you live for so damn long. Natasha enjoys her solitude but she doesn’t think she’d like it for dozens of years. 

“Have you ever needed to exile someone?”

“No, thankfully. It’s been discussed… a lot, at first. Then again when enough time passed. We decided it’s the best option.”

“It makes sense. Not much you can do to an immortal that is going to matter.”

Natasha doesn’t ask how badly anyone needs to mess up for that to happen. She doesn’t want to know. She doesn’t want to have to consider the possible consequences of what she’s going to do later. It doesn’t matter right now. 

“I hope it never comes to that. It’s hard on both parties.”

“Speaking of party, we should leave at dusk so we get to the facility when everyone is asleep. The less noise we make, the easier it’ll be.”

“Agreed.”

They still have half the day before that. They’re both used to travelling a lot but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exhausting. Maria intends to make the most of the few hours they have before they need to leave again. Natasha watches her. She finds herself doing that more often. Something about the way Maria moves keeps catching her attention. She can’t quite explain it. The closer she looks, the more she can see the weight of millenia on Maria’s shoulders. 

“Got any plans for after this?” Natasha asks to distract herself. 

“Nothing specific yet. You’ve been taking up the majority of the past months so I haven’t had time to look much.”

Natasha huffs. That’s fair. She’s eluded her for a while. Natasha is glad that the dreams have stopped though. Maria joins her and sits down on the armrest of the couch since Natasha is still not inclined to make space for her. 

“You take up a lot of space.”

“Yup,” Natasha says. 

Maria grabs the remote to the TV and finds something to watch. She likes the noise. 

* * *

They leave a few minutes before dusk. They have a ways to cover to reach the facility but the night is still young and they have plenty of time. Natasha leads the way. The trek takes them through a large forest but Natasha doesn’t once waver on where to go. She knows this area by heart. She could find her way through here blindfolded. Maria follows her wordlessly. She isn’t worried about them getting lost. 

The facility comes into view almost two hours later. Natasha’s taken great caution to avoid paths that are easily spotted and often patrolled, even at this hour. They circle the building to get to the entrance they discussed using. It is, as expected, unguarded. Natasha picks the lock and pushes the door ajar to peek inside. The hallway is empty. Natasha slips inside and Maria follows. She remembers the map Natasha’s drawn well enough but it’s always different to actually be somewhere in person. They round a corner and make their way to the nearest room where all the monitoring is being done. There are a couple of guards inside and Natasha enters the room quietly. She knows these men; knows how to avoid them alerting the entire facility and then some. She takes care of the first man right as Maria gets to the second one. Natasha’s slumps dead in the chair he’s sitting in while Maria’s guy falls out of his. Natasha immediately moves on to disable all the security measurements. Maria takes the chance to check the cameras to get an idea of what they’re up against. Empty hallways, mostly empty rooms safe for a few dorm rooms, and a few offices that are occupied and still being worked in. 

“The training rooms are down the hall. We need to block access to them.“

Maria nods. She knows. While Natasha finishes up, Maria already heads back out to reach the first room and to barricade access. And maybe borrow a few weapons, depending on what they have. Natasha joins her shortly after, just in time for someone to round the corner and notice them. Natasha curses in Russian but it’s Maria who shoots the guard. The noise is going to attract attention and though they are nowhere near the dorms or offices, they both know reinforcements will arrive shortly. 

“Do what you want with this one,” Maria says, indicating the room, “I’m going to see who else is going to join us.”

Natasha has barely enough time to nod before Maria is off to check down the hallway. The stairs are on the other end of it so she suspects people will come from there. She holsters her gun in the back of her jeans and instead unsheathes her sword. Two more guards come running down the stairs almost immediately and she makes short work of them. It’s bloody and a bit of a mess but Maria is used to that and entirely unbothered. 

A noise catches her attention and she turns around to find Natasha fighting more people. She shoots one, then another, before getting hit. Maria decides to double back and help. She does not want to get pincered but she’s hopeful they can starve off an assault from one side to move to the other. That, and they’re too close to a vast supply of weapons. Dying here is going to complicate their plan before they’ve even cleared out the first floor. Luckily there aren’t too many more coming from that way and Natasha can finish barricading the second room now that Maria has taken out the last few men. 

They move on to the stairs; Maria with her sword and Natasha with knives and other less noisy gadgets. The dorms are on the second floor and Natasha isn’t keen on dealing with that many Widows at once. They wait out the approach of more men to deal with them quietly. Using guns in close quarters is difficult which leaves Natasha and Maria with the advantage of not accidentally waking anyone with more gunfire. The problem is that there are a lot more men coming now than either of them really anticipated and covering every angle is virtually impossible. Maria has more practice in this than Natasha does and it becomes apparent quite quickly. She spots Natasha getting stabbed in the stomach out of the corner of her eye and cuts down her assailants to get to the redhead. She nudges her out of the way and into the wall to hold off the small army of men closing in on them. Natasha doesn’t understand what she’s doing. She clutches her middle and watches, confused. Maria cuts down a few more men but they just keep on coming. They’re after Natasha, not her, which makes sense. Maria covers her. She hisses when a knife digs between her ribs and then again when someone manages to smash her head into the wall. She feels more stabs than she wants to count and even though Natasha wants to do something, Maria holds her back. It’s difficult to defend herself when she’s busy defending Natasha. She knows she doesn’t have to. Natasha is as immortal as she is but there are things worse than death and she’s certain the Red Room will provide that for Natasha. Maria doesn’t want that. She won’t let it happen. 

“Move,” Maria grunts. “Do what we came here to do.”

It’s with a last effort that Maria pushes Natasha into the men on the side, who are startled enough to let her slip through. With Natasha gone, Maria cuts down the rest of them, starting by the men closest to Natasha. She makes sure they can’t go anywhere before killing the rest of them. She ends up surrounded by bodies before slipping down the wall, too wounded to immediately move on. 

Natasha runs. She runs down the hallway to the dorms without sparing a glance back to Maria. She doesn’t get it. She wouldn’t have done the same. She reaches the first dorm and is glad to see that the few Widows here are, miraculously, fast asleep. She herself has never been able to sleep like that. Natasha is a light sleeper. It comes with the job. Though apparently not for all of them. She steps up to a bed and watches the girl in it sleep for a few moments. These are her sisters. Natasha doesn’t think it’s supposed to be easy but she doesn’t hesitate to kill her. It’s fast and clean, just like she’s been taught to do. The rest of the room follows. 

By the time Maria regains consciousness and finds Natasha, the redhead has moved through every single dorm room. She’s kept her own for last and now she sits on her old bed, blood on her hands and dead girls in every bed. It’s a massacre but Natasha doesn’t regret it. She throws her knife when Maria enters and just barely misses her, embedding the knife into the wall not an inch next to Maria’s face. Maria watches her, not the least bit surprised. She’s seen all the rooms; seen all the bodies. The young women, the teenagers. She’s seen the children, dead in their beds and not older than ten. At least they’ve had a quick end. Maria has no idea what to make of any of it. Natasha looks lost, sitting there like that. Maria has to once again wonder just what they’ve been doing here. 

“You didn’t mention there were children here.”

“You would have stopped me,” Natasha says, devoid of any emotion. 

For a moment, Maria thinks this is the Black Widow. Heartless killer and cold assassin. But it’s a different kind of emptiness that laces Natasha’s voice; one of a woman who is utterly broken. It’s almost painful to hear. Natasha is too young for this. The thought has occurred to Maria again and again, each for different reasons. Too young to kill, too young to die, too young to be immortal. 

“We’re not done yet,” Maria says. 

Natasha frowns and stares at her. She’s been so convinced Maria would back out, either to leave her to finish by herself or drag her away with her. But still she’s willing to see it through with her. Natasha doesn’t know what to do. She stares down at her hands and doesn’t move even when Maria steps up right in front of her. 

“This was your home?”

“Yes… My family.”

“Sometimes family isn’t what’s best for us. They’ve hurt you here. I don’t know whether killing all of these girls is going to help you down the road but perhaps there is some mercy to be found in that.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“I want to. I’ve killed more children than I want to think about. Sometimes life isn’t fair and we make do with the options available to us. It’s you who has to live with what you’ve done here.”

Natasha considers that. She has a long time to have to live with it. She’s come to terms with doing it long before she’s ever set foot back in here. Before, it wouldn’t have been an issue. The fact that it still doesn’t feel like one is a problem Natasha doesn’t want to think about right now. Maybe it will come; the guilt. For now there is nothing. 

“Did you die?”

“Close call. Nothing a power nap can’t fix.”

Natasha can practically hear the smirk in Maria’s voice and it makes her lips tug into a grin of their own volition. Maria moves her hand to tap Natasha’s chin up so she’ll look at her. 

“Let’s finish this. We can talk later.”

“Okay.”

Maria smiles. Natasha gets up and wipes the bloody knife on her bed sheets. There is still the headmistress left, as well as the research and files in the offices. Natasha wants everything gone. She never wants to see the Red Room rise again. 

“The headmistress is left. Then the scientists. Then we burn it all down.”

Maria just nods. She has no objections. She follows Natasha out and up the stairs to the third floor. Natasha knows Madam B is still in her office. She’s always in her office. She probably knows they’re coming. Maybe she’s even waiting for them. It doesn’t matter. 

They reach the office shortly after and Natasha opens the door cautiously. She doesn’t put it past the headmistress to rig it to explode in their faces. It wouldn’t matter much but she’d rather not have to deal with it. Nothing happens, luckily, and she pushes the door open and draws her gun. Maria follows her example. 

“Natalia, my child.”

Natasha growls. She hates that name. She hates that the headmistress is entirely unconcerned about their presence. She hates her. 

“It’s Natasha now,” Maria says for her, matching the Russian. 

Madam B looks at her curiously and then smiles. It sends a shiver down Maria’s spine which is quite the accomplishment. 

“She will always be Natalia. She is mine.”

“No.”

Maria is almost taken aback by the ferociousness in Natasha’s voice. That’s not something she’s heard from her before but she certainly doesn’t blame her. There seems to be more to it though and when Madam B starts talking in rhymes, Maria’s suspicion gets confirmed. Natasha moves quickly and shoves Madam B against the wall behind her, hand covering her mouth. Maria doesn’t know what’s going on but she doesn’t need to know either. 

“Shut up,” Natasha hisses. 

It’s odd to see the redhead so emotional. Safe for the outburst in the cabin, Natasha has been nothing but composed. This rattles her. Natasha shoves her again harder when she feels the headmistress smile against her hand. She should just kill her but part of her wants to draw it out; to make her hurt the same way she’s made Natasha hurt. Maria waits. This isn’t her decision to make. Natasha needs to make it herself. They will have to talk about a lot of things after this. 

“Natasha.”

Hearing Maria’s voice calms her. She slows her breathing to regulate her heartbeat, until she can hear more than just the steady beat of it in her ears. She moves her hand away from Madam B’s mouth to grab her shoulder and pull her back to the desk forcefully. She connects with it harshly and Natasha turns to face her again. 

“The Red Room is dead,” she says softly, steady. “And you’ll go down with it. Your words have no more hold on me.”

“The Red Room will never die. Not as long as you live. Not as long as our ideals live. We will rebuild, Natalia.”

“Then I’ll take it down again. As often as it takes.”

Maria steps closer to the desk when Madam B stands up straight again, and she lifts her sword to the woman’s throat in warning. Madam B glances her way, then back at Natasha. She doesn’t try the rhymes again. 

“Kill me, but we will rise again.”

Natasha says nothing. Maria watches them both. Natasha doesn’t hesitate but she doesn’t move either. She just stands still and looks at the scene. She wants to kill her; she really does. She deserves this. Her gaze flickers to Maria and Maria finds that same lost look in her eyes as before. She makes her decision then and there. Whatever Natasha’s reaction is going to be, she can deal with it. They’ve both done things tonight that may or may not need to be discussed later. But she’s done seeing that look on Natasha’s face. She moves the sword away and is ready to drive it through the woman’s chest when Natasha finally moves. 

“No.”

Maria immediately stops herself, the tip of the sword mere inches away from its target. She looks at Natasha. The resolve has finally returned to her eyes and Maria stands down. This is for Natasha to finish, now that she’s able to again. Natasha tightens the grip on her gun and stares at Madam B for a few moments longer. A grin spreads out on the woman’s face and that’s what finally springs Natasha into action. She will no longer allow this woman to ruin her life. She pulls the trigger and shoots her right between the eyes, ignoring the blood that splatters onto her own face. They both watch her body crumble to the floor and Maria waits a minute. Natasha needs it to collect herself; to realise she’s finished this part. 

“Come on,” Maria says gently. 

Natasha stares at the dead body for a few more seconds before finally rounding the desk wordlessly. She leaves the room and they head to the rest of the offices and labs to deal with anyone else still in here before burning the entire facility down. It doesn’t take them long, thankfully. There are only a few more people here anyway. Natasha goes through a bunch of the files they find and Maria has a look around. 

“Let’s burn it all.”

Maria looks at her and nods. They set a few explosives that Maria’s packed just for the occasion and then get out of the building before it all blows up. They make it a safe distance away before the explosions start and Natasha stops for a moment to watch. Maria stops too. The building is engulfed in flames and even from here, she can feel it hot on her skin. She watches the facility burn before watching Natasha. She hopes this will help Natasha start her new life.


	10. Chapter 10

It’s weird to be back at Maria’s place after what’s just happened. Natasha can still smell the fire, can still see the flames engulfing the building. She can still feel the blood on her hands, her face. She needs a shower. She mentions as much before disappearing into the bathroom with a change of clothes. Maria watches her go without a word. She has questions but they can wait until Natasha has gotten cleaned up. Maria could use a shower herself but she isn’t in any rush. She smells of smoke and her clothes are riddled with holes and cuts now anyway. She sighs and goes to clean her sword while she waits. 

Natasha steps out of the bathroom twenty minutes later in a new set of clothes and with her hair still wet. She has so many things she wants to say but no idea which one to begin with. She ends up watching Maria instead, who still hasn’t bothered getting changed. Natasha lifts the towel in her hand to dry her hair and occupy herself. Maria continues to not make any sense to her, now even more so than before. It’s aggravating in a sense she can’t quite fathom. 

“You would have died for me,” Natasha finally says, standing in the doorway. 

Maria looks up at her and gives a half shrug. She would have, without hesitation. Almost has, really.

“That loses all meaning when you can’t die.”

Natasha looks at her and moves to cross the room. It’s not a big deal to Maria but it is to Natasha. She’s never had anyone willing to sacrifice themself for her. She stops a few feet away, suddenly unsure she wants to be any closer to her. Her thoughts are swimming and she needs to settle them. 

“I wouldn’t have done the same for you.”

“I know,” Maria says easily. 

She has no illusions about that. She knows Natasha wouldn’t have done it. It doesn’t matter though. Natasha is still new to this, still largely the person the Red Room raised her to be. Maria is well aware of what that means. Natasha isn’t just going to give her life for anyone else. Maria doesn’t need her to. 

“Then why?”

The questions stumbles past Natasha’s lips before she can stop it and Maria just smiles at her. She likes this curiousity. 

“There are things in life that are worse than death. If I’d died there, it wouldn’t have mattered. But you? They would have taken you back and hurt you more than dying ever will. I don’t need to know the extend of your history to know that; nor wanting to prevent that.”

Natasha slows her movements until she stops rubbing at her hair entirely, blinking at her. Maria gives her time to process her words. She doesn’t think Natasha is used to hearing anyone wanting to protect her. It isn’t the first time Maria leaves her confused. It also isn’t the first time Natasha catches her so utterly by surprise. It’s easy to forget sometimes just how damn fast the small redhead is. Before Maria can so much as chuckle, Natasha closes the distance to press her lips against Maria’s. It’s a short kiss once Maria catches up and pushes her away gently. Natasha’s eyes are wide with confusion. Maria can’t imagine a lot of people turn her down. 

“Don’t mistake gratitude for affection, or attraction.”

Natasha makes a small noise and then finally sits down on the couch next to Maria, towel in hand. She can still taste Maria’s lips; blood and fire. The words sink in slowly but Natasha knows Maria is right. Natasha has no concept of any of those feelings, at least not personally. She’s never been grateful for anything and doesn’t recognize the feeling. She stares down at her hands and then looks back up at Maria. 

“I’m not expecting anything, Natasha,” Maria adds when she realizes Natasha is a little lost again. “I didn’t protect you to be rewarded by you, or with you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Maria deserves that apology. Not just for the kiss, but for so many other things as well; leaving her in the dark about the girls, her almost dying just to protect Natasha… Natasha realizes she has a list in her head for all the things worthy of an apology. Maria just smiles, patient as always. Natasha appreciates that. 

“It’s okay. How are you feeling?”

“I… don’t know.”

“Well, you have time to figure it out.”

“Time,” Natasha repeats before laughing humorlessly. She hates that. “Too much of it.”

“Perhaps. It’s up to you what you’ll do with it.”

Natasha throws the towel away onto the table and runs her fingers through her hair. Maria gets up to get changed. She’s tired of wearing clothes with so many holes in them. It takes her a minute to change and come back and by then, Natasha looks a little more like herself again. That’s good. 

“The headmistress,” Maria starts when she’s back, “What was she doing with the rhymes?”

“They’re triggers. We all have them. Had them. A way for them to control us if we ever step out of line. At least I assume that’s what she was trying to do. I don’t know my trigger words.”

“You didn’t think to mention that?”

Natasha shakes her head, a few loose strands of hair sticking to her cheeks. It never mattered. 

“You’re immortal. I kill you, you come back and maybe kill me. That should stop it. More importantly, I don’t think they work anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what you saw in your dreams but the Red Room was my home. My family. They raised me, and all those other girls. Start them young enough and indoctrinating them is easy. They brainwashed us our whole lives. Trigger words, kill switches, punishments and propaganda… think of something and they’ve probably done it to us. Some worse than others. No matter what they did, I never questioned it. I never would have gone against them. When they killed me, I felt their influence on me lessen. The more I died, the more it felt like everything was falling apart. Guess they didn’t failsafe that particular issue, huh.”

Maria has no idea what to do with that information. It’s awful and she hates the idea of Natasha needing to die just to be free enough to be her own person. That isn’t right. None of it is. With the topic right at hand, Maria figures it’s time to get her questions answered. What Natasha’s just said already clears up a fair bit but there is so much more left. 

“Will you tell me about them? About what they did to you?”

Natasha considers it. She wants to say no immediately but Maria has just helped her take down the entire main facility with its personnel. She owes her that much. More than that, really. She can’t think of a single person alive who would have helped her knowing who she is just because. Not to get away from S.H.I.E.L.D., not to take down the Red Room, not to protect her. She nods once. Maria has never pressured her for anything. 

“Like I said, I was raised there. One of a few dozen girls, taken from all over Russia. I was four when they took me. We were raised as sisters. By the time I was six, I knew how to wield a knife and how to hurt someone with it. We were taught how to fight and how to fit in. Languages, sciences, dancing… anything. I could speak three languages at the age of eight, and I could kill a man in a dozen different ways at the same age. The punishments were… severe. Some of the girls didn’t survive them. Most of us didn’t survive training. When we were twelve, they sent us out into the woods in the middle of winter, with just enough food for one of us. Two if we shared. They had us fight against each other every year. Either we killed each other or the punishments would. We were sent on missions and assignments as soon as we knew how to kill. I was the perfect student. The perfect Black Widow. I never got whipped or burnt, or sent into the box. I never failed a job. Until the one that got me killed.”

That is a lot to take in all at once but Maria listens closely and processes the words. To think that this has been Natasha’s life for so long… It makes Maria feel ill. She’s glad the Red Room is gone. They can take the smaller facilities that are left to really and truly wipe the Red Room off the map. Natasha will need that too. 

“They brainwashed us all our lives so we’d never go against them or question what we’re doing. Everything we did was for the good of Russia. Or so I always believed.”

“Natasha…”

“Killing me was their downfall in the end. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Natasha is exhausted. It hits her all of a sudden, now that she’s said all that out loud. Before dying that first time, Natasha hasn’t once thought she’s done anything wrong. She sees it now but still can’t quite comprehend it. She knows but it doesn’t make sense yet. A lot of things don’t. She feels like maybe, just maybe, she can finally breathe again. Natasha wants to sleep for a day, or maybe a decade. She’s just so damn tired. 

“You should rest,” Maria offers. “It’s been a long night.”

It should trouble her more, how well Maria can read her. It does, a little, but right now Natasha is just glad that there aren’t more questions and that Maria knows exactly what she needs. Natasha likes to ignore the things she needs for things she wants instead, or maybe it’s the other way around. She doesn’t know anymore. She needs a break, wants a break. 

“Yeah…”

“We can talk more in the morning.”

Natasha nods absently. Maria watches her closely. The exhaustion is more than evident in the way Natasha carries herself. She deserves a good night’s rest. Maria knows she won’t be getting any sleep tonight herself. She’ll stay awake and keep watch, just in case. They can’t be too careful. Natasha isn’t paying her any attention anymore. She gets up and heads to the bedroom to crash and get whatever sleep her body will allow her. 

* * *

Maria is outside practicing when Natasha wakes up in the afternoon. She’s never rusty with her sword but she likes the familiarity of going through the motions. It helps her think. She’s done a lot of that during the day. Maria has seen many things in her long life but Natasha’s story still shakes her to the core. It bothers her that the Red Room has had the chance to flourish at all, when she’s been trying so hard to make the world safer. She doesn’t notice Natasha over the swings of her sword because she doesn’t want to. She hasn’t been this invested in one of theirs in a long time. 

“Morning,” Natasha mumbles, just loud enough that Maria can hear her. 

Maria stops after her next swing and turns to look at her. She smiles a little at the bed hair but Natasha looks better and she’s glad to see it. 

“Got some sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Maria nods. “I have something for you.”

Natasha frowns and Maria sheathes her sword again to come back inside. She walks past Natasha and to a box in the corner of the living room. Natasha follows her curiously. Maria rummages for a moment but she finds it quickly. She takes the doll out of the box and dusts it off gently before presenting it to Natasha. It’s been here for months. Maria’s almost forgotten about it. Natasha stares at it, then frowns again. She recognizes it. She’s even gone back to that store once only to find this one gone from the window display. She takes it and just holds it for a few moments, not knowing what to do. 

“When I first started searching for you, my search took me to this cute little shop. I’d wondered why. I went inside and spoke to the clerk in hopes of finding you. He said you’d always look at this doll more than any of the others. I’m not sure why I bought it but I hoped to give it to you eventually. And now… I think part of you always realized something wasn’t right. You’re still human, despite what the Red Room raised you to believe. We have needs and wants, even when we don’t want them. This was one of yours. All Natasha, no Black Widow.”

Natasha has no idea what to say to that. She looks at the doll, just like she remembers it, and then clutches it tightly like Maria might take it away again when she remembers what Natasha’s done. But Maria makes no move to pry it away and Natasha thinks maybe she’s still too tired for this. She doesn’t know what to do with the feeling in her chest. Maria smiles warmly. Buying that doll has definitely been the right move. Now that Natasha knows - really knows and fully understands - that Maria isn’t doing things to get anything from her, she knows better than to kiss her again. She does move closer though, to wrap her arms around Maria and hug her. She can’t remember the last time she’s hugged anyone. Has she ever? Maybe not. Maria freezes for a moment at the hug. It’s completely unexpected. She relaxes a second later and smiles, a little amused, before returning the hug. It’s nice. Maria hasn’t hugged anyone in a long time and she’s forgotten how nice it is to just have that kind of contact with another person. Natasha buries her face against Maria’s shoulder and grips her shirt tightly in one hand, the doll still in the other. 

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Natasha doesn’t move for a good two minutes and Maria sees no reason to do anything about it. Hugs are good for the soul and she thinks maybe Natasha needs that more than anyone right now. She certainly deserves it. When she does finally pull away, Natasha is a little flustered. This isn’t like her, but then again, neither is getting nice things. She isn’t worried that Maria is going to tease her for it or worse. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Certainly.”

“Can you tell me about yourself?” Natasha asks.

Maria, for once, doesn’t even need to think about it. She’s fully intended to do just that today, after Natasha’s shared her own story with her. It’s only fair. She’s evaded it long enough. 

“I can do that.”

She indicates for her to follow as she leads the way back outside. The fresh air is nice. Maria has more to share than Natasha and it might take some time so they may as well enjoy the nice weather. Natasha follows her wordlessly. They sit down together. Natasha waits. Maria hasn’t done this in a long time. She knows starting from the beginning is going to be the easiest but she isn’t exactly sure where that is anymore. She takes her sword out again and hands it to Natasha. 

“You were wondering about the inscriptions. They’re in Proto-Italic. Pre-Latin.”

“Pre-Latin? That’s…”

“Old,” Maria muses. She traces a word and continues. “This is my name. You’ll know it as Minerva.”

Natasha needs a moment to put the pieces together. The language means Italy and she does recognize the name Minerva from a history lesson or two but then that means something it can’t possibly mean. 

“Minerva. As in, the Roman goddess?”

“Roman goddess of way too many things, yes. Although the whole goddess thing is debetable anyway.”

“You’re kidding.”

Mythology has never been Natasha’s favorite but she does wish she’d remember a little more right now. She knows Minerva is an important figure in Roman mythology but she can’t even recall all of the things she’s been associated with. More than that, Natasha can’t wrap her head around this just being a fact now. Maria is older than the Roman Empire. Older than Latin as a language. It makes Natasha’s head hurt. 

“At least I was right about you being ancient,” she adds. 

It makes Maria laugh. She drops her hand from the sword and looks up at the sky. She is ancient. She doesn’t remember her whole life. She knows myths are mostly incorrect but sometimes it feels like all she has left of that part of her life. Maria tries not to think about these things too much anymore. She’s changed her name once she’s lost sense of whoever she used to be as Minerva. 

“That you were. I wish I could tell you more but a lot of that time is lost to me. I can vaguely remember getting this sword and my spear. I remember the founding of Rome and the spread of the Empire. I recall a lot of battles, and festivals in my honor. I have very few memories left from before I became this.”

Natasha feels the need to say sorry. She doesn’t know why or what for so she doesn’t say it. It hits her once again that Maria has forgotten more than Natasha will ever know. She wonders whether that means she could forget the Red Room and her upbringing herself, eventually.

“What happened to your spear?” She asks. 

“Stolen the first time I died. I tried finding it but I never got close. The sword is all that’s left. That, and the armor you saw in Italy. There were others after that first one but none that ever held any sentimental value to me. None as well-crafted as this sword either.”

Maria’s spent years searching for that spear. She’s long since given up but she misses it every so often. At least the sword remains. Her memories of it are some of the more vibrant ones left and she treasures it. She watches Natasha handle it with care and smiles a little. 

“What about the rest of it all? If you don’t remember much from your time with the Empire, what about the times that followed?” Natasha asks, curious now. 

Maria’s smile widens a bit more at the question. She laments not remembering her youth; her childhood. But she has plenty of good memories left. 

“What do you want to hear about?”

“What was your favorite time period? Your favorite place?”

“Rennaisance, definitely. The art, the reforms, the discoveries… It was nice. I didn’t like the Middle Ages all that much. May have something to do with the Roman Empire falling though. It wasn’t great to witness. I may not remember much but I know it hurt to see my home fall apart. That, and I think I died of the Plague at least twice. That wasn’t fun either,” Maria said, rambling a little. 

Natasha finds it quite cute. Maria is always so put together that this is a welcome change in demeanor. It’s a nice change of pace, and it’s good to see another side of the woman. 

“As for my favorite place, I don’t know. I don’t think I can pick one. It’s changed so much with each century, it doesn’t seem fair to settle on one. Italy will always be my home though so I suppose that will always be up there.”

“Did you meet anyone interesting?”

Here, Maria grins a little. She has met many interesting people; many people who are famous historical figures, or have made a mark on the world in a quieter way. 

“Plenty of interesting people. I met Athena, once. I liked her. She was great fun… I knew Shakespeare, and Schiller, some others. Ah, and you’ve seen the art in the cave. I was familiar with all of those artists too. Some were friends, some just took an interest in me. I liked Da Vinci the most. Honestly, I met a lot of people. I try not to make friends anymore but back then, I still did, to some extent.”

They fall quiet for a few moments. Maria hasn’t opened up so much in a while and Natasha needs to take it all in. It’s a lot. 

“This is crazy,” Natasha exclaims eventually, shaking her head. 

Maria has nothing to add to that so she just hums quietly. It is; Natasha is right. All of this is crazy. Natasha stares at the words inscribed on the sword and then sighs before handing it back to Maria. She doesn’t understand how this can even be real. Sure, she’s died a few times herself by now but living for that long? She looks at Maria, observes her quietly for a few moments. There is a permanent air of exhaustion around her that is really starting to make sense to her now. She’s noticed it before, among other things. Signs that Maria is much older than she looks. Having a vague number in her head now explains a lot of things. It opens up a whole other can of questions too though. Natasha doesn’t want to ask them. Asking them will remind her that this could be her future now and she isn’t ready to face that idea yet. Maria turns her head when she feels watched and she gives Natasha a small smile. It’s tired but genuine. 

“Did you sleep?” 

Maria shakes her head: “No.”

“You should. At least nap. I can make dinner in a bit and wake you, if you want.”

It’s a nice offer and Maria appreciates it. She’s surprised Natasha isn’t asking for more. Past her name, Maria hasn’t given her much. There will be time for that later, but still. She’s expected more pushing. She’ll share of her own accord next time; little bits and pieces of her life. They’re the only two left after all. 

“Okay.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! This is the last chapter for this first installment. I apologize for the IRL stuff happened that kept me m writing. I would also like to thank you all for the comments, kudos and bookmarks. I never expected such a reception to this AU and I am eternally grateful. Thank you.

“What now?”

Maria looks up from her breakfast and raises an eyebrow. She’s not sure what’s next. She doesn’t have a plan yet, not with Natasha. They haven’t talked about what’s going to happen next yet but with Natasha bringing it up, Maria hopes it’s an opportunity to discuss their options. 

“What do you want to do?”

Natasha has no idea. She’s promised to help Maria with whatever she wants to do next but what does she actually want to do herself? 

“The Red Room still has cells left. With the main facility gone, they’re essentially left to die but they could rebuild. There are enough people willing to take up the top spot and pick it back up. I can’t risk that. I want them destroyed, same as the main facility.”

Maria nods once and then takes another bite of her eggs. That’s reasonable, and certainly a good idea. She wants them gone too, if not as much as Natasha. 

“How many are left?”

Natasha is starting to get used to the idea that Maria is here to help. That all she has to do is ask. It’s still weird and she still doesn’t quite know how to do it in a way that feels natural to her but Maria has already done a lot for her. She doesn’t want to come across as demanding when Maria has no obligation to come with her. 

“I’m not sure. It could be a dozen, it could be twice that. I’ve never been to all of them and I doubt they had them all on record. It could take a while to find and destroy them all.”

“Alright, so we start looking. We can narrow down the search starting with whatever information you have,” Maria says easily.

“It could take weeks to find them all.”

“For just the two of us, maybe.”

Natasha frowns. She isn’t sure what Maria is implying. More friends? Deeper connections? No, that can’t be it. If Maria has those kind of connections, things would have turned out differently before. But Maria definitely has something in mind to aid them and Natasha is terribly curious. Maria grins at her. 

“If not just the two of us, who else is going to help us look?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D.. Fury, specifically.”

“What?! Are you insane?” Natasha exclaims. 

“Possibly,” Maria laughs with a shrug. 

Fury is likely still looking for them, if only on the surface. Or perhaps for his personal curiousity. Maria doesn’t know and frankly, she doesn’t care either. S.H.I.E.L.D. has all the resources to help them, provided they can nudge them into the right direction. Any intel Natasha has to share could be useful, and their assets will come in handy. They just have to use them. 

Natasha stares at her and shakes her head but then considers it. Maria isn’t wrong, exactly. It’s risky but after everything Maria has pulled off already, Natasha doesn’t actually doubt they can do it. She sits down on the table and ignores Maria’s disapproving look. She shrugs and makes a vague motion with her hand, smirking. Her smirk fades quickly though. There is a lot to think about here. They could certainly do it alone but just finding all the cells would take too long. Not to mention that the Red Room cells will notice the main facility’s fall within a couple of days. They don’t have time. 

“Okay. Okay, let’s say we get Fury to agree to help us. Let’s say he can find some of the cells and get strike teams in to take them out. We’re still short on time. We’re still wanted. Getting in contact with him now is going to needlessly expose us. We might still not get all of them.”

“Perhaps but unlike most people, we have time on our side. Even if we can’t get all the remaining cells right now, if they try to rebuild in any way, we can be there to stop them. We have time to wipe them out, Natasha. But a little help and more coordinated and timed strikes can only help. Fury won’t find us.”

“You can’t guarantee that.”

Maria turns her attention fully to Natasha, ignoring the rest of the food on her plate. She can’t guarantee it but she’ll do her best to make it so. Moreover, she won’t let anything else happen to Natasha. Not if she can help it. Natasha is just going to have to trust her, and herself. 

“Trust me.”

Natasha huffs and gets off the table. She isn’t irritated exactly but it’s damn close. Natasha doesn’t trust people. She doesn’t know how to. Maria knows this. At least, Natasha is pretty sure she does. She’s not an idiot. On the other hand, as far as trusting anyone goes, she supposes Maria is at the forefront of that list. She closes her eyes and sighs. Maybe she’s the idiot, she thinks, because she already does trust Maria. It’s the small things, really. She trusts her not to leave her in the dark; she trusts her with her past. She trusts her to help, even if she can’t quite understand that part yet. 

“Okay.”

“I’ll contact Fury in a bit. See what you can remember and find in the meantime. The more we can give him the better.”

Natasha nods and moves to leave the room. She needs to think. Maria won’t let her down but part of her brain is still screaming at her that this might be a trap. Maria senses her alarm and reaches out to grasp her arm before Natasha can leave. 

“Natasha. We’re in this together now.”

“I know.”

Maria doesn’t let go of her for another few moments. She wants Natasha to understand that she won’t let her down. That she won’t sell her out or leave her behind. They’re a team now, partners, and she knows the concept is still foreign to Natasha, even after their last mission together. They make a good team though. 

“Nobody is going to get their hands on you.”

Natasha’s fingers flex against nothing and she does her best to hide what the words do to her. She appreciates them. Maybe even more than Maria’s actions, or Maria sharing her past with her. Her name. Everything. She’s grateful because she knows that Maria means that and she doesn’t know how to deal with it. Gratitude is still new to her. She thinks she’s starting to get the hang of it though. Otherwise, what else is this warm feeling in her chest supposed to be?

She smiles a little and nods and Maria returns the smile before finally letting go of her. 

“Let’s see what Fury can do for us.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Maria calls Fury a few hours later. Natasha is sprawled out on the couch. She’s found a few possible locations and remembered several others. Most just need verifying. She’s written them all down for Maria to pass on. 

Maria isn’t surprised when it only takes a couple of rings for Fury to answer the call. She doesn’t think he’s expected it but he doesn’t sound entirely surprised to hear from her either. 

“Maria.”

“I have some info you might find interesting,” Maria says without missing a beat. 

“What kind of information are we talking about?” Fury asks after a slight pause. 

Maria watches Natasha from the doorway. She’s listening closely, though she tries to appear nonchalant. Natasha isn’t nervous but she needs to know how this goes down. She needs this. 

“Dirt on the Red Room.”

“And to what do I owe that pleasure?”

“I just thought maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. would want to get involved. You were after the Widow, you must want the people behind her as well.”

There is another pause and Maria wonders whether he’s trying to track the call. He won’t get very far if that’s the case. 

“You’re a strange woman, Maria. I’ll hear you out.”

Maria gives a smile to Natasha. Natasha doesn’t even pretend not to listen anymore. She sits up and shuffles to one side of the couch so Maria can sit down with her. Maria does just that. Going over all the locations takes a few minutes but Fury listens closely. Not to mention all the other details Natasha has noted down. Maria can hear typing in the background. He’s writing down everything she says. Good. 

“Is that all of them?”

“All the ones we know about. There are likely more. If you want to find them, you’ll have to do it on your own. This is all the information I have.”

“Any chance we might run into you if we go after these?”

Maria chuckles and it makes Natasha grin before she can help it. Fury takes that as an answer. Maria really does like him. Hopefully this can be the beginning of a good working relationship. 

“And Maria? She’s still wanted. Be careful.”

“We will be.”

Fury hangs up and Maria makes a small sound. Interesting. She doesn’t think he cares too much about Natasha’s well-being but the warning of caution is strangely appreciated. Fury is a man of character. 

“They’ll go for them?” Natasha asks. 

Maria nods briefly and puts her phone away. They will need to move. They can maybe hit a few cells before any strike teams show up. They might not have orders to take them in if they encounter them but Maria isn’t willing to take that risk. She doesn’t want to have to hurt any of those agents, nor kill them. 

“Yes. We should move quickly. The closest one from our list is a few hours away. We can get there before anyone else shows up.”

“Maria...”

Natasha is touched. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a part of this, they could leave it to them. Fury might even discover the locations of every other cell. But Maria still offers to go after at least one of those themselves. Natasha needs to do this. She needs to be there in person to see it done. Maria understands that. It makes Natasha appreciate her all the more. It’s the small things that matter, especially when she doesn’t need to ask for them. 

“Come on. We should start making plans for the morning assault, and then figure out where to go afterwards.”

“Do you think Fury is onto us?”

“No, but staying here too long will make us vulnerable.”

Natasha nods. That’s fair. She’s used to moving around a lot. Staying in one place just paints a target on their back. 

They discuss their next course of action. A plan comes together quickly enough but the questions on what to do after that first assault and where to go take a little longer. Natasha is fairly agreeable to anywhere and Maria isn’t picky either, but deciding on what to do is another matter entirely. Natasha wants to hit more locations but Maria argues that they don’t know which ones S.H.I.E.L.D. will be hitting first. They can try to find more information in the facility but it won’t be a guaranteed success. If they come up empty, they might have to abandon the pursue until Fury’s teams are out of the way. Just because Natasha understands that doesn’t mean she’s happy about it. She isn’t interested in getting captured, however, nor in having Maria get arrested, so she nods in defeat. They will do what they can while there. She knows Maria will make it happen even if they don’t have much time for it. 

* * *

They start moving two hours later. They’re packed, they have a plan, and they’re determined. They can do this. The way to the facility takes another three hours but, just as Maria’s predicted, nobody seems to have reached it yet. Natasha notes that they don’t appear any more alert than normally so it’s likely the people here have no idea that the main Red Room facility has already fallen. They have the element of surprise on their side, albeit it without the inside knowledge for the building’s layout. They will need to remain cautious. 

Natasha leads the infiltration and finds them a way into the building. Maria keeps an eye out while they head inside so they don’t end up discovered or ambushed. She doubts it’ll happen but they can’t be too careful. This facility is much smaller than the main one; onle a small building with a handful of rooms. Natasha has never been here before but she remembers overhearing security and the headmistress talk about this place. It’s a research facility. She isn’t sure what exactly they’re researching here and she isn’t sure she wants to know either. She just wants it destroyed. 

The first room they find is full of computers and research notes. Nobody is inside so Natasha takes the chance to check through some of the notes. She leaves the computers to Maria. 

“See if you can find any mentions of other locations.”

Maria nods and turns on the nearest computer. All that is on there are more documents and charts, without anything that could lead to another place. She goes through some of the notes, a little curious. She’s looking for any kind of information on what they’ve done here. Something to pass on to S.H.I.E.L.D.. If nothing else, it’ll be good to know what they might find and how important it is to find the other research facilities and shut them down over any other remaining cells. Maria genuinely doubts this is the only one. 

“This doesn’t look promising in that regard. We should check whatever main hub they have here for that. They have to have been in contact with the main facility, and any other research facilities to pass on information.”

“Damnit.”

Maria looks up at the curse and checks on Natasha. The redhead is glaring at the desk full of notes in front of her. Maria reads over one last research note before taking some photos and then turning it all off again. She joins Natasha and reads over the notes there. 

“What is it?”

“These were some of the girls I grew up with,” Natasha says, shoving the papers away angrily. “They brought them here to harvest their organs.”

Maria reads it too. It makes her angry. She feels sick. Those girls have been brought here after being killed but that doesn’t make the organ harvesting any better. It explains some of the things she’s just read though. She doesn’t like it. 

“Let’s get them, then.”

Natasha squares her jaw and nods. They can’t stay in this room for much longer. Someone is bound to make the rounds soon. She grabs Maria’s arm and tugs her along. Her fingers are shaking against Maria’s skin. Maria pries her fingers off her arm but keeps their hands linked. As difficult as the main facility has been for Natasha, this is something else entirely. She knows what remains unsaid. Natasha’s killed some of these girls herself. She feels guilty. Maria knows the feeling and she knows Natasha can’t dwell on it. It’s difficult but necessary. 

They roam the building until they reach the security room. They haven’t come across any guards or scientists yet which is strange. They can worry about that later though. Natasha gets to work the moment they step into the room. There is only one guard here and Natasha kills him before he even registers the door’s opened. Maria is once again impressed by her efficiency. Then again, she isn’t the Black Widow for nothing. Maria helps her go through the computers here until they finally find another location that they haven’t had on their list yet. Maria notes it down and they find another three facilities listed. They’ll get to these later. 

“Let’s blow this place up.”

Maria can only agree to this. They part ways to plant a few explosives and then meet again outside before everything blows up. Natasha doesn’t stay to watch so neither does Maria. There is still time to attempt reaching another location but they also run the risk of meeting Fury’s strike teams now. Maria looks at Natasha. She wants to let her decide what to do. She needs to know Natasha can calculate the risks even though this mission is deeply personal to her. 

“The next nearest one is an hour away. We can still reach it. If S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up, we can bail.”

Maria smiles. They can. They could. They wouldn’t. Maria knows it as well as Natasha does. Natasha won’t abandon an assault halfway through just because there are complications. 

“Liar.”

Natasha stops to look at her. She is determined to see this through, Maria is right. She wants to think that she’d listen to Maria if she told her to leave but she knows better. She can’t stop here. She doesn’t trust Fury; not yet, not enough. 

“We’ll deal with it if it happens,” Maria says. “But it will have to be the last one. After that, it’s up to Fury. Understood?”

Natasha doesn’t want to agree. She has the time to go after every single member of the Red Room now. She knows she could. But she owes Maria more than dragging her across Russia and elsewhere for her own personal vendetta. She nods once and Maria smiles at her. Fury can handle the rest of the organization. He just needs the intel. With what Maria has forwarded, he has the starting point he needs to make this happen. She may not trust Fury but she trusts Maria. 

* * *

They make it halfway through the second facility when S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives. They both keep their cool and finish clearing the room. The strike team has just entered the building and the two of them are on the second floor. They still have time, albeit it not much. It’s unlikely that the team knows they’re here, at least until they get further into the facility. There are a few bodies lining the hallways of the first floor. Until they stumble upon those, Natasha and Maria still have time to gather intel before needing to get out. Natasha doesn’t want to hurt any of the agents unless absolutely necessary. The headstart they have is enough not to need violence. Maria is keeping an eye out for anyone approaching their location. She hears footsteps just a couple of minutes later and leaves the door to join Natasha. 

“We have incoming. Time to go. Did you get everything?”

“Yes,” Natasha says. 

“Good. Then let’s get out of here. Fury’s men can handle the rest.”

Natasha nods, still not entirely happy about that. She doesn’t argue though and grabs her things so they can escape through the window. She leaves the computers on the files she’s just read through and Maria adds a few papers with notes from the previous facility. Maria turns and shoots the window and Natasha doesn’t waste any time jumping through it. Maria follows just before the strike team enters the room. The landing hurts but Natasha and her get out of sight immediately. They can’t get caught here. They escape into the nearby forest and Natasha is pleasantly surprised when none of the agents seem to come after them. Until they’re out of these woods and away from any Red Room facilities and S.H.I.E.L.D. strike teams, neither one of them can relax. 

Maria calls Fury as soon as they’re far enough away. He picks up again quickly and Maria can’t help but smile. He’s reliable like that. 

“We left you something. Make good use of it.”

She doesn’t give Fury a chance to reply. She hangs up. Natasha laughs. Fury has everything he needs now. If more things pop up, Natasha and her will be there to deal with them. If not, Fury can handle it. He has the men for it. Maria has other plans now anyway. Plans she hopes Natasha will help her with. 

“What now?” Natasha asks. 

She knows they’re done with the Red Room for now. She isn’t quite ready to be done with it yet but she also knows that the longer she chases them, the more she’ll be stuck in the past. Natasha doesn’t want that. She wants to move on. Madam B is dead, so are the other Widows. That has to be enough. 

“Now… we go save the world.”


End file.
